Wolverine Digest

Michigan Football Staff Visits Five-Star Prospect

Several coaches took to the West coast to visit this elite prospect
Seth Berry|
Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks as he is being introduced on the floor during the first half between Michigan and USC at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.
Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks as he is being introduced on the floor during the first half between Michigan and USC at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Michigan football coaches have been hitting the road to visit numerous recruits during college football's contact period in January.

One of the visits the staff recently made was to see five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson out of San Diego, Calif.

Fa'alave-Johnson, who is ranked as the No. 16 overall prospect in the class of 2027 and the No. 1 player at his position and in the state of California, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, was visited by head coach Kyle Whittingham, safeties coach Tyler Stockton and defensive coordinator Jay Hill.

Along with his Michigan offer, the safety that's one of the most sought-after players in the nation this recruiting cycle, holds other offers from Ohio State, Alabama, USC, Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas, among many others.

The 6-foot, 180-pounder hasn't taken a documented visit to Ann Arbor up to this point in his recruitment, but the Wolverines' staff is clearly making him a priority by going out to check on him during the contact period.


Fa'alave-Johnson's scouting report

Andrew Irvins, the Director of Scouting at 247Sports, notes that Fa'alave Johnson could be a major impact player for a hopeful College Football Playoff contender based on what he put on tape as a junior.

Here is the full scouting report from Irvins:

-Gamer that can take over games and in a variety of different ways.

-Stars as a do-it-all utility player on Friday nights and is the type of talent that could legitimately warrant snaps on both sides of the ball in college.

-Sniffs out concepts as a defender and arrives on scene with the intentions of making a play.

-Flashes impressive range while patrolling over the top and has the hip swivel to man-up with assignments on the perimeter.

-Thrives as an outside zone runner on offense with his one-cut-and-go tendencies.

-Not only will bounce off tacklers with his core power, but hit home runs with his breakaway speed when he finds daylight.

-Ceiling appears to be highest at safety given the IQ and physicality, but has the skills to also be an effective three-down running back with his hands.

-Should be viewed as one of the top overall prospects in the class and a potential impact player for a College Football Playoff hopeful based on what he put on tape as a junior.

Tyler Stockton
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Boise State Broncos safeties coach Tyler Stockton against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-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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