Michigan Coach Tony Alford Shares First Impression of 5-Star Savion Hiter

Michigan might have lost Justice Haynes, who transferred to Georgia Tech, but the Wolverines' run game has a chance to be just as good as it was last season — if not better. Michigan returns star Jordan Marshall, who will be the lead back in 2026. But behind Marshall, Michigan brought back Bryson Kuzdzal, and has the No. 1 rated running back in the '26 recruiting cycle, Savion Hiter.

On Wednesday, Michigan RB coach Tony Alford appeared on 'In The Trenches' with Jon Jansen, and he was asked about the Wolverines' newest RB. Expect to see an explosive running back next season.

"Yeah, I think you’re getting an exceptionally explosive, like off-the-charts, explosive athlete," Alford said of Hiter. "Powerful kid when he moves. You watch him just in some drill work or doing conditioning, he’ll make a cut and change direction. It’s impressive.

"Now, with that being said, I don’t want to get too far off the ledge here, because I don’t want to start putting expectations on this young guy that all of a sudden, if they’re not met immediately, he’s thinking a certain way about himself. And so there’s a fine line there.

"There’s a fine line of letting him go and pushing him. But not giving all of it to him and say, OK, we’re just going to piecemeal this thing through. Because he doesn’t have to be ready to play today. We don’t play for five months or whatever it is, six months. So he doesn’t need to be game-ready today. "

Alpha male in the room

Despite being a true freshman, the Mineral (VA) product is already turning heads as an early enrollee. Alford wants to pump the brakes in terms of setting expectations, but when you have the top-rated player at any position at your school — there are already expectations.

Alford told Jansen that Hiter is already becoming an alpha male with how well he is retaining information and his high football IQ.

Building our future with @5starsavi 🧱

Welcome home, Savion! » https://t.co/ilH2IYp4t0 #GoBlue | #BrickByBrick26 pic.twitter.com/8esY4Jeu2Z
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) December 4, 2025

"But we’re just going to keep moving him forward in a very methodical fashion," said Alford. "But I think he’s got a chance to be a special player. Time will tell him. But up to this point, just watching him move and interact and do things in the way he learns, he’s got a good football IQ.

"And so he retains information very, very well, which is good. As you know, that learning curve you’re talking about, he retains information. Here’s what I love about him the most. He’s not a typical wide-eyed freshman. I mean, he comes in, and he’s kind of like an alpha right now.

"And he wants to compete at a high level. If something’s not right, he’ll go back and do it again without you having to say, oh, go do it. Like, no, that wasn’t right. I’m going to do it again. So he’s got some of that about him, which I really like because, like I said, he’s an alpha male now."

Michigan fans will get a chance to see Hiter in action on April 18 during Michigan's Spring Game.