Wolverine Digest

Elite Wide Receiver From Florida Lists Michigan as a Top School

Michigan is in the mix for a top wideout in the class of 2027
Seth Berry|
Michigan football tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, left, and wide receivers coach Micah Simon looks on during football head coach Kyle Whittingham’s introduction during the first half between Michigan and USC at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.
Michigan football tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, left, and wide receivers coach Micah Simon looks on during football head coach Kyle Whittingham’s introduction during the first half between Michigan and USC at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff have done a nice job this offseason of adding some impactful pass catchers for quarterback Bryce Underwood in attempt to get the passing game clicking on all cylinders in 2026 and beyond.

Now, Whittingham and wideouts coach Micah Simon are looking to the class of 2027 to look to make more additions to try to build the depth and talent of the position group.

On Friday, Rivals' Hayes Fawcett reported that four-star wide receiver Julius Jones (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has named his top eight schools, with the Wolverines being amongst that list.

Along with Michigan, Oregon, Notre Dame, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Texas and Miami (FL) are the other contenders.

The St. Thomas Aquinas prospect, who stands at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, is the 70th-ranked recruit in the class of 2027, the 12th-ranked receiver and is the No. 7 rated player in the state of Florida, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Jones also comes from quite the bloodline of standout football players, with his father, Julius Jones, having played at Notre Dame from 1999-03 and was selected in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. His uncle, Thomas Jones, is a former NFL running back and was selected at No. 7 overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. In college, Thomas played at Virginia Tech from 1996-99.

Does Michigan have a shot in this recruitment?

With Jones being a Notre Dame legacy recruit, it does seem like the Fighting Irish would have the clear upper hand in this recruitment and that it would be an uphill climb for any other school pursuing him.

That's how On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine sees it as well, with the indication that Notre Dame is a clear favorite to land Jones, with Miami being a distant second.

However, there is plenty of time remaining in his recruitment, which means there is time for Jones to sway in another direction. In any sense, it's a good sign for Michigan to be in the mix of schools with playmaking wideouts this early into Whittingham's tenure.

If the Wolverines can prove to have a potent passing attack in 2026, that will only help their potential to be able to land prospects like Jones in the future.

Andrew Marsh warms up
Michigan wide receiver Andrew Marsh (4) warms up at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Seth Berry
SETH BERRY

Seth began writing on Michigan athletics in 2015 and has remained in the U-M media space ever since, which includes stops at Maize N Brew and Rivals before coming onto Michigan On SI in June of 2025. Seth has covered various angles of Michigan football and basketball, including recruiting, overall team coverage and feature/analysis stories relating to the Wolverines. His passion for Michigan sports and desire to tell stories led him to the sports journalism world. He is a 2020 graduate of Western Michigan University and is the former sports editor of the Western Herald, WMU's student newspaper.

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