College football season is well underway, and with that comes plenty of recruiting updates, as dozens of recruits visit the top schools in the country every weekend. Here are the latest updates in the Michigan recruiting world, including a top commit shutting down some of flip rumors.
Five-star U-M commit denies OSU rumors
Michigan is no stranger to going after recruits that have already committed to Ohio State, so it only makes sense for
the Wolverines to expect their rival to return the favor.
Ohio State has been pursuing 2026 five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows, who has been committed to Michigan since late June. There have been rumors of Ohio State trying to sway him away, but Meadows shut those rumors down in a recent interview.
“Michigan is my home,” Meadows told On3’s EJ Holland ($). “I’m solid with Michigan. I always enjoy my time up there. I love coach Espo (Lou Esposito) and coach (Sherrone) Moore. I love everything about Michigan and what they stand for.”
Now with that out of the way, Meadows is focusing on putting on weight in an effort to bulk up before he joins the Wolverines next year.
“It felt great,” Meadows said. “I trust my work and my grind. I’ve been working for this all year. I’ve been putting in a lot of work since the winter. It felt great to finally be able to show it.”
Meadows — who is hoping to get on campus for a visit later this fall for a game — praised the Wolverines after their 17-point win over New Mexico last weekend.
“I expect W’s all around,” Meadows said. “I have high expectations for Bryce (Underwood). I have faith in him. He’s a great player. I know coach Espo is building something special with the defensive line. They are going to go out there and dominate.”
Four-star CB commit confirms he will be enrolling early
In a recent interview with The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($), 2026 four-star cornerback commit Dorian Barney confirmed he will be enrolling early. He’ll be on campus this winter and should be able to participate in bowl game practices.
That extra time with the team is crucial for a player’s development. There’s a huge difference between watching film and actually practicing, and being with the team that early kickstarts his development while helping to establish chemistry with his position group. Wink Martindale runs a complicated defense, so the more time with it, the better.
Barney, who has a lot of upside and was on campus for the spring game in April, returned to watch Michigan’s Week 1 victory.
“It was a good one,” Barney said. “I was just up there for the game. That was my first game, and just seeing the atmosphere and environment on game day is crazy. What stood out was the atmosphere on a game day. It was crazy and playing in front of that many fans.”
One benefit of this most recent trip? Barney got to reconnect with his future position coach LaMar Morgan.
“Yeah, I talked to him, and connecting with him was good,” Barney said. “It was good seeing how he coaches and he is very interacted with his players during the game, too.”
In-state four-star edge provides recruiting update
It’s always good to dominate recruiting close to home, and Michigan is trying to earn a commitment from a top edge rusher who plays high school football a few hours away from Ann Arbor.
Recarder Kitchen, a four-star Muskegon edge in the 2027 class, ranks just outside the Top-100 on 247Sports composite. He visited Michigan last year after picking up an offer from the Wolverines, and while he doesn’t have any visits planned out yet this season, the hope is for Michigan to host him at some point this fall.
Kitchen spoke recently with On3’s Ethan McDowell ($) and gave an update on what he’s looking for in his future school.
“I love building relationships,” Kitchen said. “I can’t wait to go to all these places and see what college has to offer, what they want to do for me, how they want to build me as a man and, of course, a football player…I want a second family.”
Kitchen brought up how much he liked Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito’s approach. Esposito speaks to him about more than football — they talk about family and has focused on building a relationship with Kitchen as a person and not just a player.
“It’s just a great bond,” Kitchen said. “I love Michigan.”
