Kyle Whittingham and the Wolverines earned their first two commitments of the 2027 class last week. Now, they are both opening up on their respective reasons for choosing Michigan as their future college football home. We’ll talk about those guys in today’s Recruiting Roundup, but first, we’ve got some big news to go over.
Two local five-star prospects take surprise visit to Michigan
Having Ron Bellamy back with the program is already paying dividends for in-state recruiting, as a pair of local five-star wide receivers took a visit to Ann Arbor late last week
— Dakota Guerrant and Deandre Bidden.
Guerrant is ranked as the No. 34 overall player in the 2027 class on 247Sports’ composite, while Bidden is ranked No. 16 overall in the 2028 class. The two Harper Woods natives have visited Michigan more than any other school, with Bidden visiting seven times and Guerrant visiting nearly 20 times during his recruitment.
Getting both back on campus is huge, but especially so for Guerrant. He has been trending towards Oregon in recent weeks — he took a visit there back in January and has an official visit set for the weekend of June 5. The Ducks even received a prediction to land his commitment from Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. The Wolverines will get his final official visit of the summer on the weekend of June 19.
“I talk to them a lot and they’re trying everything,” Guerrant recently told Rivals. “Staying home, that’s always what a kid wants. We’ll see what happens; they’re definitely recruiting me hard.”
Meanwhile, Bidden visited three times this past fall and got back on campus last week for the first time since then to meet with the new coaching staff.
New commit details picking the Wolverines
It didn’t take much for 2027 three-star safety Maxwell Miles to pull the trigger on committing to Michigan. He took an unofficial visit a couple weekends ago, earned his offer during that visit, and announced his pledge just a few days later.
Speaking with The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($), Miles explained why he chose Michigan.
“I thought it was the perfect time after the Wolverines wanted me in for a visit,” Miles said. “I think after seeing practice and talking to the coaches, I just saw myself perfectly fitting in (defensive coordinator) coach (Jay) Hill’s defense. I was like, ‘you know what, the time is now.’”
“They were fired up for sure. I told coach (Tyler) Stockton that I wanted to be a part of his first recruiting class at Michigan.”
Miles (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) is set to be used in the secondary in a variety of ways, as the Wolverines told him he could be either a safety or a nickel cornerback. The Arizona native transferred to Centennial High School in Las Vegas last year and had a stellar junior season — 77 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, eight interceptions, one fumble return and a blocked kick.
“They’re getting a smart, physical defensive back who loves to compete,” Miles said. “I take coaching seriously. I’m a great teammate and I bring that dawg mentality every time I step on the field. I can play anywhere in the secondary and impact the game.”
Four-star S details commitment to Michigan
One day before Miles committed to the Wolverines, 2027 four-star safety Darrell Mattison did the exact same thing. The 6-foot-2, 160-pounder from Chicago chose Michigan over other offers from Ole Miss, Indiana, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa State Illinois and many others.
Talking with 247Sports’ Tom Loy ($) after his commitment, Mattison explained why he picked Michigan.
“Michigan just felt right,” Mattison said. “Winning culture, real brotherhood, and they develop defensive backs the right way. I wanted to be somewhere that pushes me to be great on and off the field, and that’s Michigan.
“The coaches kept it real with me from day one. They built a strong bond, not just football, but life. They showed me how I fit and how they’d develop me. That meant everything.”
He also described the type of player that Michigan will be getting out of him.
“On the field, a physical, smart, versatile defensive back who is always around the ball. Off the field, someone who is locked in and about my business. I’m coming to work.”
Quick Hitters
- 2027 in-stare four-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant has set an official visit to Michigan for the weekend of June 19, according to Rivals’ Allen Trieu. He will also take a spring visit to Ann Arbor at some point, but that hasn’t been scheduled just yet.
- 2027 three-star linebacker Broncs Baker is set to announce his commitment on April 10. He’ll pick between Michigan, West Virginia, Oregon State, Boise State, Washington State and Virginia Tech.
- Michigan recently extended an offer to 2027 four-star running back Ty Keys.
