After a hectic two days, Michigan football's 2026 recruiting class is a wrap, unless the Wolverines end up adding someone in the late signing period.
They did add Ty Haywood in 2025. There are a few targets still out there, but for all intents and purposes, the 2026 class is in the books.
Savion Hiter signed on Thursday. Michigan also flipped Brady Marchese, while Zion Robinson (Stanford) and Julian Walker (South Carolina) ended up with other programs.
Michigan is ranked 11th still, even after all the action. Michigan signed 14 blue-chip prospects. The Wolverines signed 27 total and here are some final takeaways.
More elite talent
With Savion Hiter (RB) and Carter Meadows (EDGE), Michigan football signed two of the top eight players in the 2026 class. Meadows is an elite pass rusher. Hiter is one of the best running backs to come out in recent years.
If people valued the position of running back, he might be ranked No. 1. He's that good. Sherrone Moore said on the "In The Trenches" Podcast on Thursday that Hiter should make an "immediate" impact.
Meadows has a chance to do the same. Michigan signed four consensus five-star recruits in the past two classes. They also signed seven players ranked in the top 200 overall, including two (Jamarion Vincent and Brady Marchese) they flipped in the last few days.
Elite defensive line haul
Losing Walker on signing day was a huge bummer. He's a top-100 pass rusher. Rivals has him ranked 26th overall. That's not something to minimize. The one thing that makes it easier to stomach is the fact that Michigan football has four stellar D-line prospects signed.
Meadows was one. Allister Valejo is another. Vallejo is ranked just outside the top 200. Titan Davis is ranked No. 114 overall, plus McHale Blade is a four-star with major upside. He reminds me a lot of former Wolverine Mike Morris.
A much-needed haul at WR
The Wolverines needed some more talent at wide receiver. Despite wavering, they got some in 6-foot-3 Travis Johnson. Marchese, who flipped from Georgia, should help right away. Not as a receiver but in the return game. If he can take that off the plate of Andrew Marsh, he can get the ball in his hands right away.
Michigan needs to recruit a slot receiver from the portal, but Marchese can help there, too, although he isn't just a slot receiver. Johnson is Marsh, except he's 6-foot-3. He's underrated even at No. 107 overall. If Michigan adds one or two proven players in the portal, the offense will be cooking with gas.
Priorities are clear
After getting some blue-chip talent at linebacker in 2026, it's clear that there maybe wasn't as much money to invest in NIL resources this year as U-M signed nobody ranked inside the top 500.
I do really like Aden Reeder. He has a chance to be a good player as a three-star linebacker, but Michigan just didn't seem to value the position this cycle. It is well-stocked at this point.
The secondary is in a better spot. Adding Vincent was a nice get right before signing day, so was fending off Virginia Tech for Andre Clarke. Tommy Carr was an underrated pickup at QB. The Wolverines added two solid pieces if Brady Smigiel can overcome his injury, whch he has time to do.
Matt Ludwig, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end, runs the 100-meter dash in 11.12 seconds. That's his career-best at least. He's played defensive line, too, in addition to being a state champion thrower, a basketball player, and a wrestler.
The offensive line got another good haul, too. Malakai Lee is an elite offensive tackle in my book. Marky Walbridge looks like a steal. So all in all, despite some drama, Sherrone Moore knocked it out of the park for the second year in a row.