We are just about upon the early signing period. Recruits will be able to officially sign their National Letters of Intent between December 4th and 6th. Most recruits are expected to sign during this period, but some will take their recruitments into February. With that being said, let's look at three big storylines concerning Michigan football during signing day.
Will Andrew Olesh stick?
Elite tight end Andrew Olesh is expected to sign his NLI on Friday. Where he will be signing to remains unknown. The Pennsylvania native has been committed to the Wolverines since July, but has been keeping his recruitment open, having visited Penn State and Oregon. There have been family concerns about a potential punishment coming from the NCAA, and, as a Pennsylvania family, Penn State does have an inside track with Olesh.
Oregon is trending for five star Kansas State tight end Linkon Cure and just picked up a 2026 five star tight end commitment. It seems unlikely at this point that Olesh goes with the Ducks, but you never know these days.
Penn State, on the other hand, is putting on the full court press. It likely helps the Nittany Lions that Michigan beat Ohio State to send PSU to the Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions are the hometown team and, like Michigan, utilize the tight end a lot in the passing game.
What Penn State, or any other program in the nation doesn't have, is Bryce Underwood. Michigan's future outlook is incredibly bright, and it's a fair expectation to say that the Wolverines will be in serious National Championship contention as soon as next season. The recent developments on Michigan's end make me optimistic that Olesh will stay with the Wolverines, but you can't count out the home town team. Especially when the family seems to be pushing more towards Penn State.
Where do Michigan's linebacker targets sign?
This is a huge burning question ahead of signing day. Michigan football has a desperate need for high-end linebacker talent and has two elite options still on the table in Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and Duke commit Bradley Gompers.
Throughout the cycle, there has been optimism with Owusu-Boateng. He's had excellent things to say following his Michigan visits, and now the Wolverines can offer extremely competitive NIL packages. This one is coming down to Michigan and Colorado, and honestly it's too close to tell who will win his signature.
The Buffs have been gaining momentum on the recruiting trail, and are certainly having a well improved season, finishing 9-3. Colorado also offers a more straightforward path to freshman playing time. At Michigan, all three starting linebackers could return for another season. I feel cautiously optimistic here because of the things Owusu-Boateng has said about Michigan, but Colorado and Coach Prime do so well with recruits that you can't feel safe. This one is up in the air.
Michigan's other main linebacker target is Bradley Gompers. This one is looking a little more pessimistic. Gompers was expected to visit Michigan for the Northwestern game, and the Wolverines had lots of momentum at the time. He ended up not making it in for that visit, and since then, momentum has faded.
Dialogue is likely still continuing between Gompers and Michigan, but it seems less likely that he'll be signing with the maize and blue. One hope for Michigan is that Gompers takes his recruitment into February. That would allow Michigan football to get him back on campus, and would greatly increase their chances. We'll see what happens here, but the current expectation seems to be that Gompers will sign with Duke.
Will there be any surprises?
It's no secret that Michigan is now a legitimate NIL superpower. The Wolverines, with the backing of Larry and Jolin Ellison, have the pockets to outbid anyone. That capability means we could be in line for a surprise or two. It wouldn't be surprising if a name that hasn't been mentioned much in association with Michigan were to flip and sign with the Wolverines.
If Michigan was having serious dialogue with a recruit committed elsewhere, it makes lots of sense that they wouldn't want any news coming out about that dialogue. In the NIL world, anything can happen in the blink of an eye. Especially with the number one recruit in the country committed to you. I wouldn't discount anything.
One final potential surprise to look out for is Ty Haywood. Haywood has said recently that he plans on taking his recruitment to February. That bodes well for Michigan. However, things can change on a dime. Will Haywood shock people and sign to Alabama tomorrow? Will he sign to Michigan? Somewhere else? Like I said, no fireworks are expected with Haywood during the early signing period. But that doesn't mean it can't happen.
National Signing Day should be a good one for Michigan. The Wolverines will get to lock down the majority of their recruits, and should be able to land a few commitments. Keep an eye out for any surprises. Go blue!