Wolverine Digest

Michigan Football in a good spot with top 2026 QB Brady Smigiel: 'We loved it in Ann Arbor'

Trent Knoop

Juan Carlo/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan football got the best quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class when Bryce Underwood signed -- could the Wolverines do it again in 2026? While Newbury Park (CA) 2026 quarterback Brady Smigiel isn't considered the No. 1 quarterback, he's one of the best. The Composite has Smigiel ranked as the No. 5 quarterback in the cycle and Michigan is toward the top of his list.

Back in June Smigiel ended his recruiting process by committing to Florida State, with Michigan finishing second. But in January, Smigiel re-opened his process by de-committing from the Seminoles.

RELATED: Recruiting News: Michigan football commit rises up recruiting ranks

During an interview with Inside Scoop, Smigiel revealed his top teams right now are Michigan, UCLA, Washington, Auburn, and South Carolina. He plans on visiting all five schools and Smigiel all shared that Ohio State was pressing for him to commit before Chip Kelly left the Buckeyes for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The No. 1 key during Smigiel's recruitment is building relationships. He noted that Florida State was initally his school of choice due to things not working out with Michigan and Kirk Campbell. But with Campbell out and Chip Lindsey in as offensive coordinator, Smigiel said he has a great realtionship with the former North Carolina offensive coordinator.

“We loved it in Ann Arbor. We really just liked the tradition over there. Just everything about Ann Arbor we really loved,” Smigiel said. “And I have a really good relationship with coach Lindsey over there —  he was at North Carolina. So right when he got that job at Michigan, I was one of the first calls. So just to be able to rekindle that relationship with coach Moore, and I plan on visiting there end of March.”

Coach Moore recently visited Smigiel and the Wolverines made it known that he was a top priority. Moore and Michigan has done a great job with building relationships, and that goes back to the 2025 cycle. On top of NIL, landing guys like Underwood, Andrew Babalola, Ty Haywood, Shamari Earls, and others, have all indicated the strong relationships they have with the Wolverines' staff.

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More Michigan News:

247Sports has two Michigan football transfers being 'most impactful' in 2025

Michigan Football regarded as 'biggest winner' of the 2025 recruiting cycle

2 Michigan Football players crack ESPN's 2025 way-too-early All-America Team

For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:

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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 Senior Writer for Michigan Wolverines On SI for the 2024 football season. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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