5 Most Underrated Michigan Football Signees Entering 2026 Season

Michigan went out and signed the No. 12 ranked 2026 recruiting class and the Wolverines landed the No. 16 transfer portal class. The Wolverines landed some big fish, like five-stars Savion Hiter, Carter Meadows, and Salesi Moa — along with key transfers like John Henry Daley, Smith Snowden, JJ Buchanan, and Jaime Ffrench.

In today's day and age, teams can prioritize the transfer portal in order to bring in talent, but recruiting is still a big piece of the pie. Teams still need to go out and find some diamonds in the rough to allow them to develop in their system and become starters down the road.

Here are five players Michigan either signed as recruits, or out of the portal, who I believe are the most underrated players.

RB Jonathan Brown (3 -star signee)

Michigan is pretty loaded at RB with the return of Jordan Marshsall and Bryson Kudzal. Add in five-star Savion Hiter, and the Wolverines might have as good of a trio as anyone in the country. Micah Ka'apana, Donovan Johnson, and Oklahoma transfer Taylor Tatum round out the room — if Tatum plays RB this year.

But don't forget about Jonathan Brown. The No. 802 prospect in the nation, per the Composite, was a two-sport star in high school, playing both football and baseball. Brown was a camp MVP and Tony Alford made sure to land his guy.

Brown runs a 4.5 40 and has a chance to carve out a role in the next year or so. With how deep the room is this year, Brown will likely RS, but don't count out Brown down the road. He was a late riser in the recruiting rankings and there was a reason Alford wanted him immediately in Ann Arbor.

He finished top-10 in St. Francis DeSales program history in touchdowns (eighth) and rushing yards (seventh) with over 2,000 career yards on the ground.

WR Jaylen Pile (3-star signee)

I've never quite understood Pile's ranking. The 6-foot WR has a very solid offer sheet, played stout competition in Texas, but finished the cycle as the No. 1261 player in country, per the Composite.

During his high school career at Parish Episcopal, Pile amassed almost 3,500 all-purpose yards and 39 touchdowns. Pile caught 55 passes for 1,186 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. He was also one of the biggest recruiters for the Wolverines in the 2026 class.

Travis Johnson was the headliner of the 2026 class at the WR position — and the Wolverines added Salesi Moa who will likely play WR — but I really think Pile is going to break out at some point in his Michigan career. He can play in the slot or outside, he's a versatile piece that Michigan could utilize in a number of ways.

Edge Tariq Boney (4-star signee)

Boney was a Composite three-star for most of his recruitment, but he finally got the recognition he deserved towards the end of the cycle, getting bumped up to four-star status. The Washington (DC) St. John's College edge rusher is listed as the No. 312 play in the cycle, per the Composite.

Carter Meadows is garnering mos the attention, as he should, but don't forget about Boney and what he brings to the table. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Washington, DC, after recording 48 tackles, including 20.0 for loss with 12.0 sacks, and forced two fumbles; also broke up six passes and blocked a kick with one touchdown scored.

Michigan is pretty loaded at edge, and Meadows might not even see consistent playing time in 2026, but expect both Meadows and Boney to anchor the Wolverines' edge room at some point in time. A young trio of Meadows, Boney, and Nate Marshall could be dangerous in the coming years.

TE Mason Bonner (3-star signee)

You can't teach size and speed and that's what Mason Bonner has. Matt Ludwig was viewed as the star of the class, but he ended up getting released from his Letter of Intent and now Bonner is the lone TE in the class.

The 6'7", 225-pound playmaker from Colorado is a hybrid TE — a lot like JJ Buchanan — where he can line up at either WR or TE. Bonner will likely bulk up some and that will help him in the blocking game.

As a senior in 2025, caught 47 passes for 767 yards with six touchdowns. He reminds you of a raw Colsotn Loveland, and Bonner could be a real playmaker in Jason Beck's offense in the next couple of seasons once he gets a little more refined.

LB Nathaniel Staehling (transfer)

Lastly, I'm going with the North Dakota State transfer. The FCS linebacker started every game this year. He started both at Mike and Will. Staehling was the third-leading tackler for the Bison this season, with 74 tackles. He added one sack, and led the team with three interceptions.

For his play, Staehling was named as an All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention. Staehling is a Minnesota native and took a redshirt season in 2022. He saw action in 14 games in 2023, and suffered a season-ending injury in 2024. Staehling will have a season of eligibility remaining to use in Ann Arbor.

Linebacker was a big need for Michigan and he could immediately step in and start in 2026.