There were a few question marks Kyle Whittingham needed to answer after being hired as the Michigan football head coach.
One of the most common was: Could he recruit? And really, it was, could he recruit at an elite level?
Whittingham has proven his chops as a strong evaluator and developer of talent. There was no doubt about that. But could he compete with the big boys for the top-100 types? It's early, but the answer seems to be yes.
That was one question about recruiting. Another was how would Whittingham do recruiting the state of Michigan with a staff that doesn't have many ties to the state of Michigan?
Seeing this weakness, Whittingham made the genius move of adding Ron Bellamy to the recruiting department, a former Michigan football player and assistant coach under Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore. He was on the staff from 2021-2025 as an on-field assistant.
Before that, Bellamy was the head coach of West Bloomfield, where Donovan Edwards played. He knows Michigan high school recruiting. Since his hire, the Wolverines have been trending up with in-state recruits in a major way.
First, there was the commitment of Jakari Lipsey, the No. 3 recruit in Michigan in the 2027 class. The top-100 prospect according to 247 Sports was a major commitment. Whittingham has since landed three-star running back Lundon Hampton. Recarder Kitchen, the No. 4 player in the state, also reaffirmed his commitment after Whittingham was hired. Louis Esposito is also an in-state pledge.
Michigan has also made five-star Dakota Guerrant, the No. 1 player in the state of Michigan in the 2027 class, a top priority. The Wolverines are battling Oregon for his commitment, but even if they miss on the talented wide receiver, the prioritization of in-state recruits is clear.
Michigan making more of an effort with in-state recruits than previous staff
"I think that they’re making more of an effort compared to the past years to win their backyard," said a Michigan high school coach to Ethan McDowell of The Wolverine.
The Wolverines are doing a lot of things right on the recruiting trail right now. Whittingham hasn't landed a five-star recruit yet, but he's doing everything he can to keep Guerrant and the other top prospects home in the state of Michigan.
It feels like that will continue to be the strategy moving forward. Some were concerned Whittingham would lean into his West-Coast roots too much. There's no reason to abandon recruiting Utah or California. Michigan has gotten players from both states this cycle.
However, recruiting well close to home is always a priority, or should be. When Michigan recruits the states of Michigan and Ohio well, good things happen.
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