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Michigan to battle Ohio State, other top programs for former USC five-star commit

Michigan is listed as one of the programs expected to battle for former USC five-star commit Xavier Griffin.
Chris Breiler|
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Although the 2026 recruiting class is off to a slow start, Michigan is reportedly in the hunt for arguably the top linebacker prospect in the nation. Earlier this week, five-star LB Xavier Griffin decommitted from USC, opening the door for some of the other top programs in the country to enter the battle.

On Wednesday, Steve Wiltfong of On3 reported that Michigan is one of the teams in contention.

Schools in the mix moving forward for Griffin will include Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Ohio State and Michigan. He was previously set to visit USC the weekend of June 20. Look for new dates to pop up on the itinerary.

However, things seem to have picked up quickly over the last 24 hours and it already appears that Griffin is trending away from Michigan. There's at least one crystal ball prediction in from 247Sports for Alabama to land the highly coveted five star. Making matters worse, Griffin has scheduled four visits over the next several weeks and Michigan isn't on the list yet.

Of course, Michigan's ability to recruit during the month of May has become increasingly difficult with the reported self-imposed restrictions in place. Those restrictions are due to the ongoing sign-stealing saga that seems to never go away. The good news is that it appears the Michigan staff can get back to business as usual the week of May 19, which should hopefully lead to some good things happening on the recruiting trail.

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

More Michigan News:

Michigan basketball could be hanging up a new jersey in the rafters very soon

Michigan or Ohio State: Analysts are split on Michigan football landing 5-star prospect

Joel Klatt on Michigan football's latest sign-stealing saga: 'Something's coming and it's likely very large'

For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:

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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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