Kyle Whittingham has talked repeatedly since he was hired to be the Michigan football head coach about how important it is to be good in the trenches.
We all know that's the key to winning championships. You need to have a quality quarterback, too, but unless you can be one of the best teams on the offensive and defensive lines, it really doesn't matter.
Michigan has landed some solid recruiting victories since Whittingham was hired. Michigan has a top-15 class in 2027 led by Jakari Lipsey, a four-star offensive tackle ranked No. 36 overall by 247 Sports.
Getting Lispey was huge. Missing on a talented offensive lineman like that from the state of Michigan would have strung, almost as much as losing Donald Tabron to Texas A&M or Dakota Guerrant to Oregon.
The ship has probably sailed with each of those recruits, even though the Wolverines are still trying to flip Guerrant. One recruitment that is trending in Michigan's favor, and fits with the theme of building a dominant team in the trenches is that of Mataio Fano.
The Orem, Utah prospect is the younger brother of Spencer Fano, an offensive tackle who was selected ninth overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2026 NFL draft after playing for Whittingham.
The Wolverines have been trending up the recruitment of one of Utah's top prospects. Jim Harding, who played a key role in the development of Spencer, is the primary recruiter. Fano was projected to Michigan football by Steve Wiltfong and others this summer, to the point that Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine gives U-M a 98-percent chance to land his commitment.
Now, there is more evidence that a commitment is inevitable. On Wednesday, Blair Angulo, a recruiting expert for 247 Sports, who focuses on the West, logged a crystal ball in favor of the Wolverines to land Fano with a confidence level of nine.
Mataio Fano would be a massive recruiting win for Kyle Whittingham
Listed at 6-foot-4/5, 238 pounds, Fano is ranked No. 165 overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings for the 2028 class. He's also the fifth-ranked player in Utah and the No. 21 offensive tackle.
That's according to the composite rankings. 247 Sports has Fano ranked No. 22 overall in its own rankings for 2028, which is five-star range.
Fano will have to develop and fill out, but it's easy to foresee that happening. He will be one of those 300-pounders who just doesn't grow on trees. Athletes like Fano, who will eventually be offensive tackle size are rare. At some point, the recruit, who is ranked as a three-star by Rivals, will explode.
The offensive tackle should be an elite prospect by signing day, and it seems like Michigan is about to get in on the ground floor.
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