No. 1 recruit in Michigan predicted to spurn Wolverines for Big Ten rival

An outstanding wide receiver prospect has seen his recruitment move in a surprising direction.

While the top 2027 Michigan recruit strongly considered the state school early, a surprising team has apparently lapped new UM coach Kyle Whittingham in a recruiting battle. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Geography is historically huge for college football recruiting. A number of top recruits end up staying home or playing near home for their college football pick. But even that trend can sometimes be broken in surprising form.

In the case of the top Michigan recruit of the 2027 recruiting class, an early preference for Michigan has seemingly faded. Even the possibility of the nearby rival, Ohio State, is seemingly fading into the background. And in their place, another Big Ten school has taken precedence as an unlikely favorite.

Guerrant's surprising favorite

Four-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant is the top Michigan recruit according to both 247sports and On3/Rivals. 247 ranks Guerrant as the No. 7 wide receiver recruit in the nation and the No. 52 overall player. On3 projects him as the No. 8 receiver and the No. 55 overall player.

Guerrant's recruitment is now leaning significantly toward Big ten power Oregon. On3 reports that the Ducks "have made a big move" in Guerrant's recruitment and that a significant part of the reason was an impressive recent visit to Oregon. That unofficial visit, which occurred in late January, followed a pair of unofficial visits to Michigan and one to Penn State.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning is reportedly in good shape to snag a top 2027 wide receiver target | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

But Guerrant seems to be inclinced to play in the prolific offense of Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. The Ducks are at or near the top of the conference and national passing offense statistics, and with the exception of the elusive College Football Playoff title, Lanning has Oregon playing as well as any program in the nation year-to-year.

The 6'1" Guerrant has track speed and has shown the ability to impact games with a variety of passing looks and responsibilities. Guerrant has also shined on defense in high school, but stands to get his first collegiate looks on the offensive side of the ball.

Oregon's 2027 recruiting

Oregon is building its 2027 class, already having landed four verbal commitments. Those early pick-ups are enough to boost Oregon to No. 22 in the current 247 team rankings for the 2027 class. None of the early pickups would clash with adding Guerrant-- the early signees are a pair of front-seven defenders and a pair of offensive tackles.

While the list of 2027 commits is growing, most top wide receivers are taking a patient approach. Only two of the top 10 wide receivers in the current 247sports rankings have picked schools. Ohio State got a commitment from No. 2 receiverJamier Brown and Texas took a pledge from No. 4 Easton Royal. There's no indication of a potential commitment date for Guerrant, and with a dead period underway, there's likely plenty of time for further developments.

High school star Dakota Guerrant is leaning toward Oregon for his college destination. | David Rodriguez Muñoz / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images