247Sports updated its rankings for the 2026 football recruiting class, and one future Michigan Wolverine received a significant bump up the rankings.
Four-star offensive lineman Marky Walbridge moved up
more than 600 spots — 662, to be exact — from 814 overall to 152 overall in 247Sports’ newest rankings. It was the biggest rankings boost for any of Michigan’s committed prospects during this update.
Walbridge committed to the Wolverines over other schools like Penn State, Alabama and Boston College earlier this summer. He announced his pledge just a few days after taking his official visit to Ann Arbor in late June. He was just a three-star prospect as the No. 447 overall player on the 247Sports composite at the time of his commitment — now, he is regarded as the No. 228 overall recruit on the composite.
Head coach Sherrone Moore and offensive line coach Grant Newsome had Walbridge as a true top target of theirs throughout his recruitment, even when he was a lower ranked recruit. Casual recruiting followers (i.e. star gazers) may not have viewed his commitment as an important one back in June, but the Wolverines knew what they were getting in Walbridge long before the recruiting services did.
After this rankings update, Michigan now has the No. 11 overall class in the country. The group is headlined by a pair of five-stars in edge rusher Carter Meadows and running back Savion Hiter. Meadows moved up 30 spots to No. 6 overall in the country after this update, while Hiter actually moved down one spot to No. 18 overall.
Other major risers in this rankings update include four-star edge Julian Walker (up 73 spots to No. 85), four-star defensive tackle Alister Vallejo (up 97 spots to No. 113 overall) and four-star wide receiver Travis Johnson (up 42 spots to No. 135 overall). A few fallers include four-star cornerback Andre Clarke Jr. (from No. 141 to unranked in the Top247), four-star edge McHale Blade (from No. 233 to unranked in the Top247) and four-star wide receiver Zion Robinson (down 65 spots to No. 139).
