Skip to main content
Wolverine Digest

Michigan Football Trending to Land Three-Headed Monster in 2028 Recruiting Class

The Wolverines are favored to land three of their top targets in the 2028 class.
Trent Knoop|
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan is still working on closing out its 2027 class, with the Wolverines having 21 commitments in the fold. But there is still room to add a few more players and Michigan is hopeful its new-look team can open the eyes to some of the elite prospects in the '27 cycle, so the Wolverines can loop back around.

But the Wolverines are also recruiting in the 2028 class. And momentum appears to be mounting for Michigan following Rivals' Steve Wiltfong placed three predictions in favor of the Wolverines on Tuesday.

Edge Major Stokes

Wiltfong placed a prediction with a 60 confidence meter in favor of the Wolverines. He isn't the first analyst to do so, there are three other predictions that favor Michigan on Rivals, along with a prediction favoring the Wolverines on 247Sports.

And it's not shocking to see Michigan being favored. Stokes is a 6'5", 237-pound edge out of Orem (UT). The staff had known Stokes for awhile and now that they are in Ann Arbor, Kyle Whittingham's crew is going right after him.

Stokes is the No. 54 player in the 2028 class, per 247Sports Composite and would be a good focal point. He recorded 29.5 tackles for loss, along with 11.5 sacks last season as a sophomore. Entering his junior season, Stokes has five-star ability and has offers from almost every major school in the country.

OL Mataio Fano

Wiltfong's prediction marks the third in favor of the Wolverines landing Mataio Fano, the brother of former Utah tackle Spencer Fano and edge rusher Logan Fano.

The youngest Fano is also from Orem (UT) and clearly has a relationship built with both Kyle Whittingham and offensive line coach Jim Harding. Spencer was a first-round pick this past spring and Harding was a big part of his development.

With Fano thinking about coming to Michigan, Harding could help develop the No. 145 player in the 2028 cycle, per Rivals' Industrial. 247Sports has him the highest, ranked No. 22 in the country.

Entering his junior season, Fano is at 6'4", 225-pounds.

Edge Asa Burch

Michigan is also trending for another legacy prospect. The son of former Wolverine, Alfie Burch, the youngest Burch is sought-after by the Wolverines' coaching staff.

Burch goes to Warren (OH) Warren G Harding, and has several prolific offers, including the Ohio State Buckeyes. He is ranked No. 131 overall by the Rivals Industrial rankings and is considered the No. 5 prospect in Ohio.

Last year, Burch recorded 42 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and four sacks as a sophomore in high school. Entering his junior season, Burch is listed at 6'5", 225-pounds and is set for a major junior season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Share on XFollow @trentknoop
Home/Recruiting