After a tumultuous and shocking recruiting day, where does Michigan's 2026 class land

A Michigan football helmet on the field during warmup at the spring game at Michigan Stadium | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

For Michigan fans, July 5th was supposed to be a day of joy and celebration. Four-star cornerback Dorian Barney was set to choose the maize and blue, and then an even bigger fish was headed to Ann Arbor. Five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell had been predicted to Michigan for weeks, and Michigan fans thought it was all over, rejoicing on social media. Then everything changed. Russell shocked everyone and chose Syracuse, leaving the Michigan faithful baffled. To top it off, four-star longtime commit Brody Jennings flipped his commitment from Michigan to the hometown Miami Hurricanes. After all that disappointment and letdown, where does the 2026 class stand?

Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

247Sports currently has Michigan's 2026 class, consisting of 20 recruits, ranked seventh in the nation overall. The Wolverines would have moved into the top five if they had held Jennings and landed Russell. That ship has sailed, and the staff is looking forward to a few other elite targets that have yet to make a commitment.

The biggest fish left in the pond is five-star top 20 recruit running back Savion Hiter. Hiter has been tight-lipped about his commitment timeline and recruitment in general. The Wolverines have missed on several key targets in the running back arena and genuinely need to close this deal. The class overall appears to be on track to finish easily in the top 10, but there is still a lot of time left before Signing Day, and things could pick up or turn south in a hurry.

Michigan QB Bryce Underwood hands the ball off to top 2026 RB target Savion Hiter | Michigan Football

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