Just because the 2026 college football season is on the brink of beginning doesn't mean that recruiting for the future just stops, and Kyle Whittingham is seriously putting in the work on one 2028 five-star recruit.
While there is still a little time to finalize the Class of 2027 before the Early Signing Period in December, attention is starting to turn to the Class of 2028. Those recruits will be making their game-day visits as well this season, so making the push for some early commitments will be crucial for Whittingham and Michigan.
When it comes to five-star defensive lineman Kellen Hall, he is getting a lot of attention from multiple Power Four conferences, already receiving 29 offers. There is one school, though, that he says has pushed the hardest for him, and that is the Wolverines, according to Rivals reporting expert Steve Wiltfong.
Hall says he is familiar with Whittingham and how his defenses play, so now it is seeing how things play out going forward.
Michigan is one of the schools recruiting 2028 No. 2 overall recruit Kellan Hall the hardest, @SWiltfong_ reports〽️
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 19, 2026
"I’m familiar with Coach Whittingham and his style of play defensively, so we will see where things go from here."
Read: https://t.co/opSldThC0H pic.twitter.com/i7uDZECXOq
Kyle Whittingham needs a five-star win for the Class of 2028
Michigan fans can't be too upset with the way the Class of 2027 shook out after the high time of recruiting came to a close at the end of the summer. Whittingham got commitments from 21 recruits and, right now, has the No. 11 class in the country according to 247Sports Composite Team rankings.
There is one flaw in that 2027 recruiting class, though: Whittingham wasn't able to close the deal with a single five-star recruit. Michigan has multiple opportunities to get a few commitments from five-star guys, like in-state five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant. The in-state problem can be spotlighted at a different time, as it was another glaring issue for Whittingham this summer.
It is still impressive to have the No. 11 class in the country without a single five-star, but that is not where Michigan wants to live. The Wolverines have the resources and history of success to have a Top 10 class stacked with at least a few five-star guys.
Whittingham can be given a pass in his first offseason, especially coming in late and worrying more about keeping guys on the roster in the building at first, but the recruiting patience from the fanbase won't last long.
Hall is ranked as the No. 2 player nationally and the No. 1 defensive lineman in his class, so if Michigan is making the hard push, Whittingham has to find a way to close the deal. Hall would be the perfect prospect to be the building block for the 2028 class at Michigan, and Whittingham's first five-star commit with the Wolverines.
Recruiting five-star talent needs to be at the top of the list for Whittingham for the 2028 cycle, and he is well on his way there if he is pursuing talent like Hall.
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