Wolverine Digest

Michigan football makes final 4 for top TE target

The Wolverines are squarely in the mix to land a top TE in the class of 2027
Seth Berry|
Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (17) makes a catch against New Mexico safety Austin Brawley (21) during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (17) makes a catch against New Mexico safety Austin Brawley (21) during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 30, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

A top-10 tight end in the class of 2027, four-star Cooper Terwilliger from Pierre, South Dakota, has named a final four, with Michigan football making the cut.

Along with the Wolverines, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound prospect is also considering Nebraska, Iowa State and Iowa.

Terwilliger took one documented unofficial visit to Ann Arbor back in the spring when he visited campus in late March.

Over the last several seasons, Michigan has had a good run of developing players at the tight end position, most recently with Colston Loveland, who is now with the Chicago Bears playing under head coach Ben Johnson. Now, Marlin Klein is coming into his own and proving as a valuable target on Michigan's current team while working under the guidance of tight ends coach Steve Casula.

Being a class of 2027 prospect, Terwilliger doesn't have to make a decision on his college future any time in the near future, but it's clear he is wanting to narrow his choices down and focus on these schools for the time being with a naming of a top four.

Terwilliger has taken six documented trips to Nebraska to see Matt Rhule and the Huskers, which outpaces any other school he has visited, signaling that the Big Red might have an early advantage as things stand today.

Michigan currently has three verbal commits in its class of 2027 in four-star QB Peter Bourque and three-star offensive linemen Tristan Dare and Louis Esposito.

Terwilliger is the No. 158 player overall in the class, the 10th-ranked TE and the top player in South Dakota, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Steve Casula
Michigan tight ends coach Steve Casula watches warm up of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 19, 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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