Michigan S 2026 Recruiting Board Updated After New Commits Missed Top

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 12, 2026, 3:51 AM

michigan s 2026 recruiting board updated after new commits missed top

ANN ARBOR – The first two days of the early signing period featured some unexpected twists and turns for the Michigan football program, but it didn’t move in the national rankings after the dust... The Wolverines still sit at No. 11 in the 247Sports Composite rankings after losing two top-200 recruits to other schools Thursday but adding another from an SEC program. Michigan briefly fell down to 26 recruits in the 2026 class with four-star receiver Zion Robinson flipping to Stanford and four-star edge Julian Walker flipping to South Carolina, but it made another addition later... All 27 prospects have signed. The class consists of two five-stars, 12 four-stars, 12 three-stars and an unrated long snapper.

Here’s a closer look at each commit: Meadows committed to Michigan in June over other finalists Ohio State, Penn State and South Carolina and soared in the national rankings this fall, climbing more than 60 spots. The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder has all the makings of an elite, athletic pass rusher and could see the field early. On3/Rivals released its updated recruiting rankings for the 2026 recruiting class on Monday afternoon. Several Michigan commits moved up and down. The highest ranked prospect in the class is five-star Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga EDGE Carter Meadows, who moved up one spot to No.

5 overall nationally. Meadows is Michigan’s lone five-star commit this cycle. Ranked as the No. 2 EDGE in the country, Meadows is a tall, long pass rusher with plus athleticism and one of the highest ceilings in the class. Meadows committed to Michigan over Ohio State and others late last month. Two other Michigan commits were featured in the Top 100.

Billings (Mont.) West tight end Matt Ludwig stayed put an No. 91 overall, while Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha offensive lineman Malakai Lee dropped eight spots to No. 93 overall. Michigan’s biggest rankings riser was Liberty Hill (Texas) High defensive lineman Alister Vallejo, who moved up from a three-star recruit to the No. 269 overall prospect nationally. At 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, Vallejo projects as a three-technique and shares similarities with former Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham.

The recruiting industry was shaken up recently when On3 acquired Rivals, though it took a little time for everything to merge late last month. While we now see two different Michigan sites with On3 user interfaces, there still wasn't a unified recruiting ranking -- as there were separate rankings for both On3 and Rivals. But as of Monday, it's all Rivals with no more On3 rankings. Now that the two different rankings are now unified, that means so have some of the recruiting rankings for many of the Wolverines' commitments in 2026. Here is how each of the current pledges who are in the top 300 ranks now, according to the new-look Rivals ratings, sorted from highest to lowest. Cornerback Andre Clarke is rated a four-star but does not have a numerical ranking.

Cornerback Dorian Barney and wide receiver Zion Robinson are three-stars, despite being rated as four-stars on 247Sports and ESPN. The rest of the class are listed as three-stars. With the combination of On3 and Rivals, there are some changes, most notably the rise of Carter Meadows up to No. 5 overall. Brady Smigiel was once a five-star on Rivals and is no longer. But some players will see a bump, like Alister Vallejo, who now will be a consensus four-star after having had a split four-and-three situation.

After a relatively slow start, the Michigan Wolverines put together a solid recruiting effort in June and July. At one point, Michigan's 2026 recruiting class had climbed from the high 40s into the top 10 nationally. But in recent days, the class has slipped a little bit as other programs have secured big wins, leaving Michigan sitting at No. 11 nationally in Rivals' latest team rankings. RELATED: Michigan, Penn State in recruiting battle for elite 2027 QB Top 50 classes in the updated Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings at the beginning of August‼️https://t.co/q3j02zBhQA pic.twitter.com/U1VnCwQmgv

Michigan's 2026 recruiting class features 22 commitments and ranks No. 4 within the Big Ten conference, trailing only USC, Oregon, and Ohio State. Leading the class is five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows, the No. 5 EDGE nationally and No. 1 overall prospect from Washington, DC. Meadows committed to the Wolverines at the end of June, choosing Michigan over Ohio State, Penn State, and South Carolina.

So after a couple recruits came off the board who are also related to current players (Savvy Swords and Taylor Sofilkanich), I started wondering about who we might actually see commit for the class... I’ve linked a couple pages below that I used to compile information, but I fully admit I may have missed someone. Also, some commits are happening now, but some wait until the fall, so I don’t really have a clue when Michigan’s class of 2026 will come together. Size of class to expect: 3 players will graduate or be out of eligibility after this year (Crockett, Quarles-Daniels, and VanTimmeren), leaving Michigan with 11 on the roster barring attrition. I would expect a similar class of 2-3 players plus a transfer or two if anybody leaves. Thank you.

Hopefully, the changes in the coaching staff will have a positive impact on recruiting. In reply to Thank you. Hopefully, the… by massblue Good stuff thanks! Can WBB borrow Lou Esposito for a day? The end of Michigan football's 2025 regular season and the program's ongoing regime change will bring an influx of Transfer Portal decisions.

This page will be updated throughout the next several weeks with every Transfer Portal development pertaining to Michigan football. We'll keep tabs on commitments and departures as the Wolverines will look to retain a young roster and build on a 9-4 season despite Sherrone Moore's unexpected dismissal as head coach. New U-M coach Kyle Whittingham met with players during the Citrus Bowl week and acknowledged he expected attrition. "High-character group. They care about academics. They want to be at Michigan.

And that was the real mission and what I was trying to find out when I met with everybody is where they were mentally and what their plans were," Whittingham said. "I was amazed: There was not a bad guy in the bunch, literally, and every guy that I visited with was excited to be at Michigan. Now, that doesn't mean they're all going to stay. You've got Transfer Portal; there's going to be some activity, I'm sure, there." The Transfer Portal is open from Jan. 2-16.

Graduate transfers, who were previously able to enter the Portal with minimal restrictions, must now also adhere to that window. For a full primer on the current Transfer Portal rules, 247Sports has written this in-depth primer. Michigan football recruiting had a torrid month of June and appeared to be en route to a similar July, but ended up missing out on two of its biggest targets over the weekend. Though the Wolverines reeled in 2026 Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith four-star wide receiver Travis Johnson and Carrollton (Ga.) four-star cornerback Dorian Barney they missed out on Fort Worth (Tx.) four-star offensive lineman John Turntine... With 21 commitments at the moment, who’s next for the maize and blue? Here are the top remaining targets for Michigan football in the 2026 recruiting cycle and our feelings on the likelihood that they could end up wearing a winged helmet.

Join the discussion → Share your thoughts! Read more from our local writers → Parental Rights v Armada Schools - Andrew Eberly ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan set a high bar for its 2026 recruiting class by signing the No. 6 class in 2025 and landing the nation’s No. 1 prospect in quarterback Bryce Underwood.

The big question: Was the 2025 class an isolated phenomenon aided by having a generational quarterback prospect playing a few miles down the road? Or is it a sign that Sherrone Moore has put Michigan in the upper echelon of programs competing for five-star prospects in the era of revenue sharing? The 2026 recruiting class will be telling in that regard. Michigan has commitments from three players: cornerback Brody Jennings, offensive lineman Bear McWhorter and wide receiver Jaylen Pile. That list will grow as players make their spring recruiting trips and schedule official visits for June. There’s no player of Underwood’s caliber to be the face of the class, but Michigan has assembled an ambitious recruiting board that includes the 247Sports Composite’s No.

1 prospect, Jackson Cantwell, and a host of other elite recruits. Here are 10 key players Michigan is targeting in the 2026 cycle. Offensive line coach Grant Newsome had some huge recruiting wins in the 2025 class with five-star tackle Andrew Babalola and top-50 prospect Ty Haywood. For 2026, the Wolverines will take their chances with Cantwell, the No. 1 player in the composite rankings. Cantwell’s recruitment is still in the early stages, but Michigan is in line for an official visit, along with Georgia, Oregon, Miami and Missouri.

However this one shakes out, Moore is showing a willingness to pursue the best offensive line prospects in the country, a notable development for a program that wants to build on its success in... At this point, Michigan football has the bulk of its 2026 class intact after a hot recruiting month of June and the start of July. Yes, the Wolverines missed out on two of their top targets this month with five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell choosing Syracuse and four-star offensive lineman John Turntine III committing to Texas. The fun of the past few weeks, where head coach Sherrone Moore would post a pair of eyeballs indicating a commitment was nigh, and that seeming to be an everyday occurrence, is now a... With that in mind, we have four top remaining targets on the board, a few lesser targets, as well as some strategy thoughts that may indicate more of what the class may look like... Michigan's likely top overall target in 2026, the Wolverines have been after Hiter for over a year.

Michigan S 2026 Recruiting Board Updated After New Commits Missed Top

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