Michigan Football Recruiting: What’s Next at Wide Receiver?

Michigan football currently has two wide receiver commits in I’Marion Stewart and Channing Goodwin. Unfortunately, the Wolverines missed on four-star North Carolina native Jordan Shipp, who chose the Tar Heels over the Wolverines. Shipp is the teammate of current Michigan football commitments Jadyn Davis and Channing Goodwin.

So that begs the question, what’s next for Michigan at the receiver position? The staff wants 3-4 receivers in this class, meaning Michigan has to land one or two more. So who are potential options?

Right now, Michigan football is heavily recruiting two big-name wide receivers. We could see them expand the board if things start to trend in a bad direction, but they’re shooting for the best right now in five stars Gatlin Bair and Ryan Wingo. Let’s look at each in depth.

Gatlin Bair

An Idaho native, Bair offers an interesting scenario for the Wolverines. He’s an absolutely elite player but is going on a two-year mission trip following his graduation, meaning he’s essentially a 2026 recruit.

Bair is, without a doubt, worth waiting for. The question becomes, however, what does Michigan do in the 2024 class? I’d expect them to expand the board, but they haven’t done too much of that yet. I fully expect them to reach out to other wide receivers as the season progresses.

Back to Bair, Michigan is in a great position with him. They checked off all the boxes on his official visit, and they’re easily the best program in this recruitment. Boise State and Oregon are fighting hard for Bair, but this one seems like a Michigan vs Boise battle.

Boise State is set to get a multi-day visit following the end of the dead period, and Bair is looking to commit sometime in August. It’s not great that Bair is going to take a multi-day visit to Boise before committing, but Michigan can definitely overcome that. Michigan is in the driver’s seat right now, and I think that as long as they keep their foot on the gas, Bair will be a Michigan Wolverine.

ON3 gives Michigan a 71.9% chance of landing Bair, showing the Wolverines as the overwhelming favorite. Right now, I do think the Wolverines will land Bair, and he would be a phenomenal get for Michigan. The Wolverines have been missing someone like Bair, and he’s been compared to Texas superstar Xavier Worthy.

This is one to watch as we approach August.

Ryan Wingo

A Missouri native, Wingo’s recruitment has taken a lot of turns over its course. After starting as a Notre Dame lean, Wingo looked like he’d be a Georgia Bulldog. Now, the Texas Longhorns appear to be the favorite. What this tells me is that Michigan football has a chance.

The Wolverines have been in the back seat for most of this recruitment, but they really stepped up in June. They wowed Wingo on his official visit and became real contenders in the race. There’s still work to be done, but this one is far from over.

Wingo recently announced a commitment date of December 20th, the first day of the early signing period. This is great for Michigan. The Wolverines needed this recruitment to go the distance to have a chance, and now it appears it will.

Michigan football should get the opportunity to have Wingo back on campus for a game, and they’ll have a real shot to win his commitment. I’d be shocked if they didn’t try to get him on campus for the Ohio State game.

Success on the field will be another big factor in this recruitment. By December, the season will be over and the playoffs set. If Texas has another disappointing season, you’ve got to imagine that’ll hurt their chances.

I’m not going to say Michigan has a good chance in this recruitment, because they don’t. SEC superpowers will be after Wingo, and it’s hard to imagine Michigan beating the likes of Georgia and Alabama for a five-star receiver. But Michigan has a chance, and that’s all they can ask for.

Ron Bellamy and the entire staff is going to put their all into this recruitment, and we’ll see what happens. Go Blue!