Michigan Football Recruiting: Elite Target Down to Two Schools

One of Michigan football's top targets in the 2026 recruiting class, top 100 running back Javian Osborne (TX), is down to two schools. And Michigan football is one of them, along with Notre Dame. The announcement came out on Monday night, and follows visits from Osborne to both schools.

Michigan football is the longstanding favorite in this one, but Notre Dame has recently exploded onto the scene. Obviously, the Irish were in the National Championship last season and have an elite running back in Jeremiyah Love. They also have a massive brand and are the only current football power that can compete with Michigan academically.

Osborne will visit Notre Dame for his official visit the weekend of June 13th, before heading to Ann Arbor the weekend of June 20th. That means that Michigan football will get the final say in this one.

What it all means for Michigan football

What's potentially very interesting in this recruitment is that Michigan's other top running back target, Savion Hiter, who is the top back in the nation, is scheduled to make his official visit to Michigan on June 13th, before making his final visit to Tennessee the following week and making a commitment soon after.

This means that both backs have roughly the same recruiting timeline. That could give Notre Dame an advantage over Michigan, as Osborne is the Irish's top target at the position and would be their clear bell cow, while Michigan football would preferably want Osborne to complement and share the backfield with Hiter.

It'll be very interesting to see how this one plays out. Michigan will have to play this masterfully to land both Hiter and Osborne, and will have to be extremely careful to ensure they land at least one. Stay tuned for any updates here.