Thus far, the Kyle Whittingham era has been fantastic and Michigan fans are loving every minute of it. Need some more good news to get you fired up? Whittingham just provided it, as the Wolverines were able to land a new commit.
That'd be in-state offensive lineman Jakari Lipsey. Moments ago, Hayes Fawcett of On3 broke the news that the 6-5, 300-pounder is going to be playing his college ball in Ann Arbor. Per Fawcett, the big-bodied lineman chose to stay close to home. over UCLA, LSU and Tennessee as his other finalists:
BREAKING: Four-Star OT Jakari Lipsey has Committed to Michigan, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’5 300 OT from Kalamazoo, MI chose the Wolverines over UCLA, LSU, and Tennessee
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 2, 2026
“Staying home Michigan Man”https://t.co/3fkwZyKmWZ pic.twitter.com/5lx3nsZVdv
4-star OT Jakari Lipsey has committed to Michigan and Kyle Whittingham
A standout for Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, which is around 90 minutes from Ann Arbor, Lipsey was a top priority for Whittingham and his new staff. Throughout his recruitment, the 2027 playmaker picked up 24 total offers, but the lure of staying close to home was too much for him to pass up on.
According to the 247Sports Composite, the new Michigan pledge is ranked four stars, the No. 10 offensive tackle in the country and No. 115 prospect nationally for the '27 group. The trustworthy Allen Trieu was also all over this new commitment, reporting that offensive line coach Jim Harding helped push things over the top for the Big Ten side.
Added a quote from Lipsey who said offensive line coach Jim Harding played a large role in this decision: https://t.co/m9Y8LvpKv7
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) May 2, 2026
With Lipsey now on board, Whittingham and the Wolverines are up to six commits for the 2027 haul, as he's joined by EDGE Recarder Kitchen, quarterback Kamden Lopati, athlete Maxwell Miles, offensive tackle Sidney Rouleau and offensive lineman Louis Esposito.
With May/June official visit season almost here too, you better believe that Michigan is going to see its number of commits explode in the coming months. Whittingham has been working wonders since taking over at UM and he can't stop getting people jacked up over the success he's having.
Lipsey's decision is only made better with him being a local kid. Whittingham is always going to want to keep the best homegrown players, especially when so many other schools are chasing after him. Kiffin and others thought they had a shot to land Lipsey, but Whittingham made sure that wasn't going to happen.
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