Lots of things are happening for Michigan football on the recruiting trail. Fans and pundits are focused mostly on the pursuit of Bryce Underwood for good reason but that's far from the only storyline.
It did take on even more importance though as 4-star QB Carter Smith, who has been committed to Michigan football for about a year, re-opened his recruitment following the Wolverines' interest in Underwood.
There was hope that Michigan could land Underwood and keep Smith, but that's clearly not the case. However, this class is about more than Underwood. The Wolverines have been pushing for a bunch of flips and on that note, in-state recruit Elijah Dotson, a Pittsburgh commitment, will be taking an official visit this weekend after visiting for the MSU game last weekend.
Dotson is 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, and ranked No. 296 overall in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. The Wolverines seem to be making a stronger push. An official visit is a sign of that and it feels like a flip isn't just possible but likely.
In another key bit of news for Michigan football recruiting, the Wolverines will host four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng this weekend according to Josh Henschke of Rivals. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker who is ranked 107th overall took an official visit over the summer. Notre Dame has been a key contender for the IMG Academy linebacker, but this visit, which wasn't on the radar, is huge.
Michigan football is also making NIL a bigger priority and that should trickle down past just Underwood and Owusu-Boateng could be a good test of that. It's fair to worry about the loss of Smith and if Michigan can flip Underwood, but you have to love how aggressive the Wolverines have become.