Michigan football is really starting to turn up the heat in its 2026 recruiting class. The Wolverines just landed a commitment from coveted offensive lineman Bear McWhorter, and have been making progress with a plethora of top recruits.
Michigan is fresh off of an elite 2025 recruiting class, and is looking to have an even better 2026 class. One position that remains a need in 2026 is wide receiver. The Wolverines signed a deep wide receiver class in 2025, but are looking for an elite talent to truly that their offense to the next level.
The staff and program donors know that wide receiver could be the key to winning more national championships, and so far they've been very aggressive in the 2026 class. In fact, the Wolverines appear to be in contention for two of the top four wide receivers in 2026.
Michigan football recently made the top 12 for five star Calvin Russell
Just a few days ago, five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell released his top 12 schools, and Michigan made the list. While there hasn't been much conversation surrounding Michigan football and the Miami native, the fact that the Wolverines made his list shows that conversations have been had. Recruits know that Michigan can provide NIL, and the chance to play with Bryce Underwood is also a huge positive.
Simply put, Michigan is a hot name for recruits. The next step for Michigan to truly solidify itself as a contender here is to get Russell on campus for a visit. So far, no visit has been scheduled. But it's a pretty easy trip from Miami to Ann Arbor, and Michigan needs that to happen. If it does, Michigan will have a real shot here.
#1 WR Tristen Keys is set to visit Ann Arbor
Despite leaving Michigan football off of his top schools list, Tristen Keys, the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation, scheduled a visit to Michigan on April 5th. This visit is a huge development for Michigan and puts the Wolverines back into contention.
The visit being scheduled also implies that Michigan did something to capture Keys interest. That something is more than likely NIL related. Michigan knows that it has to be aggressive, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Ellisons, who did so much to get Bryce Underwood to Michigan, wanted to get him the best receiver in the class.
The goal for Michigan needs to be to get Keys back to Ann Arbor for an official visit over the Summer. That should be a very doable goal, especially if Michigan has the right conversations with Keys while he's in Ann Arbor.
There's definitely interest here from the Mississippi native, and Michigan will have to capitalize on that. It'll be fascinating to see what comes out of his April visit. Stay tuned for any updates.