It is not everything, but it is surely something... One of the key aspects to Kyle Whittingham taking over the Michigan Wolverines is there may be a bit more of a West Coast flavoring when it comes to high school recruitment. Why would it not? Whittingham spent over two decades leading the Utah Utes. So with him still trying to build up his first true recruiting class, look for him to flip a Cal commit...
Troy Bowens has been committed since mid-March, but he is taking an official visit to Michigan now.
Locked in for my Official Visit to Michigan June 19-21! Grateful to the staff for the opportunity and excited to experience everything Michigan has to offer. @UMichFootball @UMFBCoachWhitt @CoachJayHill @CoachPowell99 @BrandonHuffman @GregBiggins #GoBlue #BleedBlue… pic.twitter.com/CyjmfkZkM7
— Troy Bowens (@TroyBowens0) May 4, 2026
Bowens announced on social media Monday afternoon that he will be taking his official visit to Michigan from June 19 to 21. The Sutter, California native is also taking his official visit to Cal a week beforehand on June 14. According to the 247Sports Composite, Bowens is the No. 22 player from California, the No. 29 defensive lineman in the country, and the No. 261 prospect in the 2027 cycle.
With Whittingham being a defensive-minded guy, this is all leading up to Bowens flipping to Michigan.
Michigan seems to be on the verge of flipping Cal commit Troy Bowens
What is important to understand here is who Bowens' primary recruiter is to Cal. That would be new head coach and former Cal player Tosh Lupoi. The former Oregon defensive coordinator has taken over for a good, but not great Justin Wilcox at the helm of the Golden Bears football program. Lupoi could be the one to help Cal take that next crucial step since joining the ACC. They are so very close...
That being said, a Michigan offer still carries so much clout. This is a program that regularly recruits up and down all of California. The Wolverines have been doing it for decades. Given that Whittingham favors Bowens' side of the football, as well as having such strong recruiting ties to the region from his lengthy tenure at Utah, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Michigan ends up flipping Bowens.
The other thing to keep in mind here is the order in which Bowens will be taking his two official visits. While he has had one lined up with Cal for a while now, the fact the Michigan one comes merely days after the trip to Berkeley speaks volumes. Oftentimes the last place a recruit visits ends up being the one where he sticks. For Michigan's sake, let's hope Bowens' visit to Ann Arbor will be his final one...
At this time, if anyone is going to be able to flip Bowens away from Cal, it might as well be Michigan.
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