Wolverine Digest

Michigan Football predicted to lose recruiting battle, but could it mean good news?

The Michigan Wolverines are predicted to lose out on a recruiting battle with Notre Dame, but it could signal good news with another elite recruit.
Chris Breiler|
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The Michigan Wolverines are in a heated recruiting battle with Notre Dame for one of the nations top 2026 running back prospects. But it looks like the Wolverines could be losing that battle to the Fighting Irish, as On3's Steve Wiltfong recently logged a prediction in favor of Notre Dame.

The battle is over four-star running back Javian Osborne. According to On3, Osborne is ranked as the No. 8 overall running back prospect in the country and the No. 14 overall prospect from the state of Texas.

And while you never want to lose a recruiting battle to anyone (especially Notre Dame), losing out on Osborne could signal some potentially good news for Michigan.

The Wolverines are also in the mix for the No. 1 ranked running back in the 2026 class, Savion Hiter. Back in February, Hiter listed Michigan in his final four, a list that also includes Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas. He plans to visit all of his top schools over the summer, including a stop in Ann Arbor from June 13-15.

As of this writing, On3's prediction is currently favoring Georgia (28%) and Ohio State (21%) as the two programs to land Hiter. But as we've seen in recent months, the Michigan Wolverines are more than capable of competing with anyone on the recruiting trail, particularly when it comes to NIL resources.

If the Wolverines are all-in on Hiter, expect to see Michigan making a big push for the five-star RB when he arrives on campus this summer.

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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