Wolverine Digest

Summer surge: Michigan named a top program on recruiting trail by Rivals during summer months

Wolverines added several big named commitments over the summer
Seth Berry|
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore hype the student section during warm up before the USC game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore hype the student section during warm up before the USC game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines added a slew of verbal commitments to its class of 2026 to jump up to No. 11 in the Rivals Industry Recruiting Rankings after a successful summer. On top of that, the Wolverines also got a head start on their 2027 class with two recent commitments from offensive linemen Louis Esposito and Tristan Dare, adding to the summer wave of momentum that is currently with the program.

For the Wolverines, it's a heat wave on the recruiting trail that they hope won't cool off anytime soon even as the fall months approach and recruits begin taking official visits to campus during the college football season. For now, though, the summer hot streak on the trail has paid off as Michigan was recognized by Rivals as being one of the biggest winners in the country in terms of the level of prospects the program has gained over the past few months.

"Michigan went on a crazy run this summer landing a total of 14 commitments. The most notable of them all was five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows, who chose the Wolverines over Ohio State and Penn State," Rivals' Hayes Fawcett wrote. "Coach Sherrone Moore and company built an elite defensive line class consisting of Meadows, Titan Davis, McHale Blade, Julian Walker, Alister Vallejo and Tariq Boney."

The Wolverines were the only Big Ten team to appear on the list, checking in at No. 8 out of 10 programs that were deemed "winners" on the recruiting trail during the summer months. Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks checked in at No. 1 on Rivals' list.

"The Oregon Ducks capped off a huge summer by landing five-star edge rusher Anthony Tank Jones over Alabama and Texas A&M.," Fawcett wrote about the Ducks. "They also secured five-stars Immanuel Iheanacho and Jett Washington. Other notable commitments include Rivals’ No. 1 cornerback Davon Benjamin Jr., athlete Jalen Lott and Messiah Hampton. Oregon also flipped several recruits, none bigger than Rivals’ No. 5 quarterback Bryson Beaver from Boise State."

The first day of the early signing period for college football begins on Dec. 4 as the Wolverines look to finish out the cycle on a high note in the coming months.

Lou
Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive coaches Wink Martindale and Lou Esposito celebrate after a defensive stop against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-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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