Michigan in Serious Danger of Losing 2027 4-Star Commit to Ole Miss

Michigan is on the cusp of having a top-10 recruiting class in the 2027 cycle. But the Wolverines' play on the field can't be ignored, and rumors of Kyle Whittingham being one-and-done can't be ignored either. With some doubt surrounding the Wolverines, some of their commitments have taken notice and have begun taking visits elsewhere.

The Wolverines are in serious danger of losing four-star defensive back Tavares Harrington, who committed to Michigan on May 22. The Rebels were one of his finalists when he committed to Michigan, and on Tuesday, two predictions came in favoring Harrington to Ole Miss.

It would be a big blow for the Wolverines' recruiting class. Harrington, the Chicago (IL) Mount Carmel prospect is a 6'3" defender who can play anywhere in the secondary. He is ranked as the No. 151 player in the country by Rivals and the No. 9 safety.

Harrington would be the second defensive back to leave Michigan for Ole Miss. Four-star Darrell Mattison flipped his commitment from the Wolverines to the Rebels.

Whittingham didn't see this coming, or at least he said

Michigan made the move to fire Jason Beck, which has nothing to do with the Wolverines' defense, but they are 5-4 with a chance of missing a bowl game for the first time in over a decade. Once the move to fire Beck was made, Whittingham said all of the position coaches hit the phones to speak to the current 2027 commitments — including Harrington.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

As of Monday, Whittingham said there was no panicking and everyone seemed locked in.

"We got on the phone with every recruit last night," Whittingham said on Monday. "And they seemed to be very receptive and positive. Nobody was panicking. Nobody was saying, 'Well, coach, I don't know about my commitment now,' and so forth.

"First of all, it's Michigan. And you come to Michigan for a lot of reasons. Academics, the tradition, the history. Coaching changes are a part of college football. And they go on constantly. There's been several coordinator changes, head coach changes so far this year. And there's going to be a lot more, I can tell you that. And so that's just part of the deal."

Whittingham has been very vocal since the loss to Michigan State that the woes can be fixed by recruiting. With the coaching staff arriving in January, they spent the cycle retaining the roster and looking at the portal. He believes with the players they've handpicked to come to Michigan, it can lead to immediate payoffs on the field.

"It's going to be our job and our responsibility now to continue to build the roster through recruiting the guys that we want in this program," said Whittingham. "And we've got a really good start on that. We've got a lot of positive things going on in the '27 class. It's still two or three weeks away from Signing Day. But we feel like we know exactly what we need and exactly what needs to take place in recruiting."

If Harrington decommits, it will be the second player to do so in recent days. Offensive lineman Sidney Rouleau left Michigan and committed to Syracuse.

Sign up for the Michigan Wolverines on SI newsletter for more free coverage

Add us as a preferred source on Google