When the Michigan football program is at its best, the defensive line is almost always one of the dominant units in the NCAA. To continue that tradition, though, the Wolverines must continually load up on talented players to fill the pipeline.
One high school target that the Wolverines would love to add in the class of 2026 is Tyson Bacon. However, the 4-star product from Alabama is currently committed to the Tennessee Volunteers.
Still, that isn't keeping Sherrone Moore and his staff from trying to flip him. In fact, after extending an offer to Bacon in January, it appears that the Wolverines have put themselves in the middle of this recruiting battle.
Earlier this week, while speaking to Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider, Bacon talked about how excited he was to get an offer from Michigan.
"I was just like, man, that's the offer I worked hard for," he said. That's the offer I wanted. Like I wanted that. Like, I really wanted that bad because we came up here. I think it was a Rising Stars. It was a Rising Stars visit. I seen Michigan (there). I was like, yeah, this is where I want to be. Like, I want to work. I want to work, so I can be up here, you know. So that's, that's what I did. I worked and I got it. Soon as I got that offer, got off the phone, coach Espo did 100 push-ups straight."
Michigan was a bit late to the party when trying to land the 6-foot-3, 263-pounder. Before he got his offer from the Wolverines in January, he had already been committed to Tennessee for over three months. What's more, he held offers from top programs such as Georgia, Southern California, Florida, Ole Miss, and Washington, among others.
However, Webb seems to be welcoming all offers, despite his commitment to Tennessee. In fact, he indicated to Webb that he doesn't understand why a program might shy away from pursuing him despite his verbal commitment.
"I just feel like if a school says that [they won't offer because he is already committed]," he said, "where your confidence at? You gotta have some confidence in this game, you know?"
One factor that might help the Wolverines pull out this recruiting win is that Bacon has ties to Michigan. In fact, he spent a large part of his formative years in Michigan before moving south. But despite his Michigan upbringing, he said that he had to remain impartial when it came to college football because of his parents' rooting interests.
"So I really couldn't even be a fan because my dad's a big Georgia fan and my mom's a big Michigan fan," he said. "Okay. So it's just like, I'm neutral about it all. I gotta be neutral about it all because one parent going to feel the way about the other. I'm just neutral through it."
It is easy to see why so many programs are in the hunt for Bacon. Finding difference-makers on the defensive line is difficult, and having dominant players at that position is often what separates the contenders from the rest of the nation.
Currently, Michigan has only three players committed in the class of 2026, and none call the defensive line home. But if Moore and Co. can flip Bacon away from the Volunteers, he will instantly become one of the building blocks of the next recruiting class in Ann Arbor.