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Wolverine Digest

Michigan Football Dangerously Close to Missing on Big-Time Legacy Recruit to Notre Dame

This would be an unfortunate hit for Michigan.
Trent Knoop|
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Michigan Wolverines

Michigan knows all about landing legacy prospects. The Wolverines landed a pair in the 2026 recruiting class and one of them is Michigan's starting quarterback. Both Tommy Carr and offensive lineman Tommy Fraumann committed to play for the Wolverines, and in the 2027 class, Charles Woodson Jr. is committed to Michigan.

The Wolverines were hoping to land both Marquis Ray and Asa Burch in the 2028 cycle. It had appeared that Michigan was the leader for both legacy prospects, but things have turned in Burch's recruitment and now the Wolverines appear to be in the backseat.

On Monday, there were predictions from both Rivals and 247Sports that came in favoring Notre Dame to land the four-star defensive product.

Missing on Burch would be a big loss

You never want to assume a legacy is just going to come to the school their parent played for, but Burch was seriously trending to Michigan. Alfie Burch played for the Wolverines and it was no secret that Michigan made Asa a priority.

Burch is from Warren (OH) Harding and is 247Sports Composite's No. 86 player in the 2028 class, along with being ranked as the No. 12 edge rusher. Burch is listed at 6'5", 225-pounds.

Back in October, Alfie Burch told On3 that Asa was going to know what his decision was going to be around November.

“The decision-making process is really narrowing down every visit,” Alfie told The Wolverine. “That’s how this is working. By November-ish, he’s gonna know.”

“He likes Notre Dame, he loves Michigan,” Alfie said. “They’re right there.”

Burch is slated to return to Notre Dame this weekend for its big game against Miami. The atmosphere is going to be electric and the if the Irish pull out a win, who knows what will happen with Burch's decision.

Recruiting speed bumps

Michigan has one player committed in its 2028 class and that's kicker Ryan Jung. The Wolverines are trending, or at least thought to be, for several prospects in the class.

Players like four-star OL Mataio Fano, S LaMarcus Army, and edge Major Stokes are all looking hard at Michigan — along with Ray, the legacy recruit. But so was Burch and as the Wolverines continue to struggle on the field, players could start to look elsewhere.

Michigan recently missed on four-star quarterback Levi Kerr, who the Wolverines hosted for the Penn State game and then was the reported leader in his recruitment. However, Kerr opted to commit to Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels, which will make Michigan look in another direction.

The 2028 class is still one whole cycle away, but the Wolverines need to start getting their feet in the door.

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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