The Michigan Wolverines have some momentum on the recruiting trail right now after landing a pair of defensive backs and an offensive lineman last week. They are hosting a ton of other top targets over the next couple weeks as well as spring ball continues.
One of the guys that was on campus this past weekend wasn’t originally supposed to be in Ann Arbor, but he chose to do so anyways.
Elite DL takes surprise visit, returning soon
David Folorunsho was supposed to take a trip to Miami last weekend, but instead, he took an impromptu visit to Michigan
instead. The 6-foot-4, 280-pounder from Chicago is a top-100 overall player on Rivals and 247Sports, and this was his first ever trip to Ann Arbor.
Speaking with On3’s Ethan McDowell ($), Folorunsho explained how his time was.
“A really in-depth trip all around,” he said. “I had the opportunity to really see how (defensive tackles) coach (Larry) Black operates and really see his coaching style up close and personal, so that was great. I feel like the whole staff is just full of great human beings, people you can just relate with.”
Folorunsho got the chance to meet with with head coach Kyle Whittingham, defensive coordinator Jay Hill and assistant defensive line coach David Denham, among others. He made a pretty bold statement about the staff following the visit.
“I feel like Michigan would be the spot to go if I was going off of straight coaching staff,” Folorunsho said. “…You can just tell how close (Black) is with each of his players. He’s all about development and getting the players to be the best player they can be, but I’m going to keep reemphasizing it — I think he’s the most hands-on coach in college football because of the stuff he does with the players.”
Not only did he get to bond with new coaching staff, but he also mapped out the next time he will be in Ann Arbor. He’s set to be back next week, April 7, for another unofficial visit. Additionally, Folorunsho said he will “likely” take an official visit to Michigan the weekend of May 29, but that isn’t confirmed just yet.
Notre Dame, Miami, Tennessee and Penn State are the biggest competitors in this recruitment for Michigan. But for now, Michigan is “in my top-three right now,” so things are progressing pretty well.
Four-star DL explains rescheduling official visit to Michigan
Another top target of Black’s is 2027 four-star defensive lineman Xavier Muhammad. At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Muhammad projects as a versatile weapon along the defensive front — he could either pack on some weight and move to the interior, or stay where he’s at (or maybe even drop a little bit of weight) and play along the edge.
Regardless, he is a priority for the Wolverines, who are expected to host him for an official visit this summer. It was originally scheduled for the final weekend of May, but he has since shifted things around and will now be in Ann Arbor the weekend of June 19, which is the final weekend that prospects can take official visits this summer. That date works better for Muhammad and his family, per On3’s McDowell ($).
Black has been recruiting Muhammad vigorously since he got hired as the program’s defensive tackles coach. He was also recruiting him when he was still at Vanderbilt.
“It’s a very close relationship,” Muhammad said. “We talk almost every day now, always texting each other, and I like that about Michigan too, how they just always include me in things— texting me, reaching out, hopping on FaceTime calls, and I just like that a lot.
“He’s going to do the same thing at Michigan but even harder now, and I just respect that a lot, showing that he’s not going to change up from going to a different school, and he’s the same person.”
Muhammad is a top-100 overall prospect and is also being pursued heavily by Houston, Miami, TCU, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Arizona State.
Michigan surging for new LB target
Alex Whittingham offered 2027 linebacker Cain Brackney on March 14. He took his first visit to Ann Arbor about a week later and was able to schedule his official visit during that time as well.
Speaking with On3’s McDowell ($), the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder from Bixby, Oklahoma detailed how his visit went and what stands out about Michigan.
“It was a surreal moment for me,” Brackney said. “It was incredible. Of course, the facilities were great, phenomenal actually, the best I’ve ever seen to be honest.
“But the coaches were great, really great people overall, not just as coaches, but you can tell they care about their players outside of football, and they work very well with each other. They understand each other. They’ve been around each other for a long time, and you can tell it’s a well-oiled machine.”
Brackney may be unranked right now, but that won’t be the case for long. He put up a stellar junior season in which he compiled 102 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception, which was returned for a touchdown. He also holds offers from other quality programs like SMU, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa State and others.
He’ll be back in town the weekend of June 19 for his official visit, and Michigan sits “extremely high” for him as of right now. With the way he’s making things sound, he may not leave that visit uncommitted.
“It all checks out for me and, not only that, it’s Michigan football,” Brackney said. “It doesn’t get much bigger than that.”
Quick Hitters
- Michigan offered a pair of 2028 quarterbacks who visited last weekend — four-star Jamar Howard Jr.
- …and four-star quarterback Treyvone Towns.
- Michigan also offered 2028 four-star edge rusher George Parkinson after a visit last weekend.
