Michigan Competing Against Iowa and Others for a Top-20 Player Out of Illinois

Recently, Michigan made the top six for offensive lineman Mason Halliman. The Frankfort (IL) prospect named a top six consisting of Michigan, Illinois, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ole Miss.

Halliman has visited Iowa five times, according to Rivals, and it appears the Hawkeyes have the inside track in his recruitment. According to Rivals' Recruiting Prediction Machine, Iowa has a 97.8% chance of landing Halliman. The Wolverines are third on the list with less than a 1% chance — but Michigan is in his top group for a reason.

Extremely blessed and thankful to God, Family and coaches.@CoachBarnett_OL @EDGYTIM @RyanClanton @AllenTrieu @Coach_BMiller @GregSmithRivals @TomLoy247 @CoachMateos @coachjharding @CoachGarrisonOL @LWEastFootball pic.twitter.com/mbg9VYh4Nb
— Mason halliman (@Masonhalliman08) February 17, 2026

More on Halliman and his recruitment

According to the Composite, Halliman is the No. 548 prospect in the 2027 class. He is the No. 49 OT and No. 18 player from the state of Illinois. As of now, a trip to Iowa is the only official visit in the books for Halliman.

In a recent article by Greg Smith from Rivals, he noted that he still believes in his prediction for Iowa to land the big-time offensive tackle. He also said that Michigan has been a factor in his recruitment for some time, but the shuffling of the coaching staff could hinder the Wolverines moving forward.

Michigan currently has two offensive linemen in the fold

Until they sign on the dotted line, anything is possible. But as of this writing, Michigan has a pair of offensive linemen committed. The Wolverines hold commitments from three-star linemen Tristan Dare and Louis Esposito.

The Wolverines have been recruiting the offensive line position well in recent years, but that was also under the old regime. Both Sherrone Moore and Grant Newsome played a big role in bringing in linemen like Andrew Babalola, Ty Haywood — who is no longer with the program —, Evan Link, Andrew Sprague, and Jake Guarnere, among others.

While those two played a big hand, the new staff did an excellent job of keeping them in the fold. Plus, bringing in a coach such as Jim Harding should only help Michigan and its ability to recruit the position. While Harding came from Utah, he is regarded as one of the top offensive line coaches in the country.

Harding has helped send 13 offensive linemen to the NFL, including six draft picks, highlighted by 2017 first-round selection Garrett Bolles (20th overall, Denver Broncos), the highest-drafted OL in Utah history.

With Harding in the fold, Michigan should continue to have a tough line and recruits will likely want to come to Ann Arbor.