Ace Hamilton Reflects on Virginia Tech De-Commitment, Signing With Michigan: ' My Dream School'

Michigan signed four offensive linemen in the 2026 class. The Wolverines were headlined by a pair of four-star linemen: Malakai Lee and Marky Walbridge. But both Tommy Fraumann and Ace Hamilton are names to remember. Fraumann is a legacy prospect, and Hamilton always dreamt of coming to Ann Arbor.

Hamilton, a Washington (DC) St. John's College prospect, was previously committed to Virginia Tech. But after a disappointing season, the Hokies parted ways with Brent Pry as the head coach — he would later be re-hired under James Franklin.

Once Hamilton learned of the news, he de-committed and his dream school came calling.

OFFICIAL LETS GO!! #GOBLUE https://t.co/i61jMhNTyX
— Adrian “Ace” Hamilton (@Adrianham1_) December 3, 2025

"So a lot of people don't know this about me. Michigan was like my dream school when I was in middle school, like coming into high school," Hamilton told Herbstreit on 'The Team'. "If there was one school that I really wanted to go to, it was Michigan. So when I was committed to Virginia Tech, they had a situation where the head coach got fired.

"And then that's when I was in conversation with the old coaches at Michigan, and then once the head coach got fired, they came, called me, talked to me, and basically offered me. That was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life. It was me and my mom."

What made him love Michigan

Hamilton was the No. 606 player coming out of high school, per 247Sports Composite. The 6'3", 295-pound lineman spoke about why he always liked Michigan — it was the Wolverines' rich history of running the football.

Michigan has had a tendency, for quite awhile, to run the football with physicality, and it led to back-to-back Joe Moore Awards in both 2021 and 2022.

"So, as an offensive lineman, you would love seeing teams who were dominant in the run game," said Hamilton. "That was the biggest thing with Michigan. Every game I watched, they would just run the ball, run the ball, and they were dominant up front, and as an offensive lineman, that's what you really love to see."

Life's good! pic.twitter.com/A3D9GNCNXY
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 7, 2026

When Hamilton signed with Michigan, then-head coach Sherrone Moore predicted that Hamilton would slide down to center. However, Hamilton played tackle in high school, but what makes him unique is that he trained to play all five positions. He feels like wherever the coaching staff places him, he can excel.

"So throughout my life, even when I was playing tackle, I was trained to be able to play all five positions, like guard and center. So if I ever had to make that transition, I would be ready," said Hamilton.

Jim Harding and the Joe Moore Award

When Hamilton committed to Michigan, the Wolverines had Grant Newsome as their offensive line coach. He parted ways with the team following Kyle Whittingham taking the job, but not only did Michigan upgrade its offensive line coach, but landed one of the best in the country.

Jim Harding comes over after very successful years at Utah. He just sent two Utes in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and Hamilton is very impressed by what he's seen so far.

"I love the new staff, especially Coach Harding," Hamilton said. "He's one of the best offensive line coaches I've personally seen, and you know, he's just a great guy. We hit it off well since I got here, especially. It was a great spring, so yeah, I'm liking that coaching staff."

Not only is Harding a good teacher, but his goals are strong. Hamilton isn't the first player to say that Harding is preaching to get back to the Joe Moore Award-winning ways in Ann Arbor. After retaining Jake Guarnera, Blake Frazier, and Andrew Sprague, among others, Michigan hopes to protect Bryce Underwood at a higher clip, and continue to play smash-mouth football.

"Yeah, we talk about it a lot, considering that it's a good history of Joe Moore O-line that came through here and a lot of offensive linemen who came through here. It's definitely been talked about a lot in the offensive line room. It's a goal of ours," Hamilton said.

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