Recruiting Analyst Predicts Michigan Football to Land a Top 50 Prospect

Michigan just signed the 12th-ranked class in the 2026 cycle — headlined by five-stars Carter Meadows and Savion Hiter — and now the Wolverines have all focus on the 2027 class behind their new coaching staff. Kyle Whittingham and Co. have been on the road seeing some top prospects.

Rivals' Greg Smith recently 'called his shot' by predicting '27 WR Quentin Burrell to Michigan. Burrell was a player the old staff was very familiar with, and now new WR coach Micah Simon has begun to build a foundation with the Mount Caramel playmaker.

"Other teams have tried to push their way into this two team race between Michigan and Notre Dame. Lately, Arizona State has been rising here as a true threat to the blue blood programs. But right now I still like Michigan to get this one done. He’s very familiar with the program overall but just needs more time to get exposed to coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff."

Burrell's scouting report

The 6'3" playmaker out of Chicago, Illinois, is ranked as the No. 50 prospect in the nation, per the Composite. Burrell is the No. 9 WR and No. 2 player from the state of Illinois. He holds offers from just about every college program in the country with notable offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, and Oregon, among others.

In 2025, during his junior season, Burrell's squad went 14-0 and won the state title. Burrell was named the News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year and made First-Team All-State. He caught 67 receptions for 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns.

For Burrell's career, he has caught 142 passes for 2,396 yards and 34 scores.

The need for elite WRs in Ann Arbor

Michigan's recruiting of the WR position appears to be trending upwards in the last couple of cycles, but the Wolverines didn't recruit the position too well towards the end of the Jim Harbaugh era, so Michigan had to utilize the transfer portal to bring in starting-caliber playmakers.

The Wolverines landed a great one in Andrew Marsh, who led the team last season during his true freshman season. Michigan is also high on Jamar Browder and the Wolverines landed four-star Travis Johnson and three-star Jaylen Pile in this past cycle. The Kyle Whittingham connection helped Michigan land five-star athlete Salesi Moa, who was a short-term signee with Utah.

Michigan will have to prove it can pass the ball well enough to entice top-tier playmakers to come to Ann Arbor. But with new OC Jason Beck and QB coach Koy Detmer Jr., the play of Bryce Underwood should continue to improve.