Just recently, a bit of a recruiting setback came in for Michigan and Kyle Whittingham, as 5-star cornerback and top target Joshua Dobson announced his pledge to South Carolina. However, right after giving the Gamecocks and Shane Beamer some good news, Dobson appeared to leave the door open for Michigan to keep recruiting him.
So much for that. It didn't take long for Dobson to see some of the rumors started to fly around on social media, which led to him releasing a new statement on the status of his verbal pledge. Straight up, the 6-1, 185-pounder is set on playing for Beamer at the next level, and nothing is going to change that.
To address the confusion from my comments, I want to make something very clear: I am 1000% committed to USC 🤙🏽. Go Gamecocks!
— 5⭐️Joshua Dobson (@JoshDobsonDB) July 4, 2026
During the interview, the reporter asked me how it felt now that the recruiting process was over. My response was that it's far from over because I still… https://t.co/FKhs7idWzf
5-star Joshua Dobson has shut the door on potentially flipping to Michigan
"To address the confusion from my comments, I want to make something very clear: I am 1000% committed to USC. Go Gamecocks! During the interview, the reporter asked me how it felt now that the recruiting process was over. My response was that it's far from over because I still have to make it official by signing in December. That answer was about the timeline—not my commitment. I'm locked in, excited for what's ahead, and ready to get to work. Spurs Up."
There you have it. When Dobson originally said his recruitment wasn't over despite committing to the SEC school, it raised some eyebrows. However, he went ahead and clarified that nothing is finalized, simply because he can't make things official with the Gamecocks until the Early Signing Period in December. His intentions are still to play for South Carolina.
Had Dobson committed to the Wolverines, it would have been a monster get for Whittingham. Throughout his recruitment, the North Carolina product picked up 31 total offers. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's ranked five stars, the No. 3 cornerback in the country, No. 1 player out of NC, and No. 17 prospect nationally for the 2027 class.
Despite UM missing out on Dobson, it takes nothing away from the fantastic work Michigan has been able to get done with the '27 efforts. Thus far, Whittingham has picked up 20 commitments. At cornerback alone, missing out on Dobson doesn't hurt as much due to the fact that Monsanna Torbert Jr., Tavares Harrington, Blake Jenkins, and Darius Johnson are already on board.
With Torbert, he just pledged to the Wolverines, doing so over Ohio State and Indiana. Him taking a bit of a shot at the Buckeyes has plenty of fans fired up too. While Dobson would have been a monster addition, the Michigan faithful shouldn't lose any sleep over him staying close to home to play for SC. Things are still cookin' the right way for the Wolverines and Whittingham, no doubt.
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