The month of May ended up being busy for Michigan football recruiting. The Wolverines landed not one, but two commitments from tight ends, Matt Ludwig and Mason Bonner.
Ludwig might be from Montana, but he's an elite prospect at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. He runs the 100-meter dash in 11.12 seconds, which is more than a second faster than Colston Loveland.
The 100-meter dash isn't everything. Ludwig is also a discus state champion. He's ranked 175th overall in the On3 Industry rankings for 2026. The only thing is that Michigan football needs more guys like that committed, which is what the month of June is for.
Around 40 recruits have official visits scheduled, according to On3. Some of those won't happen due to commitments elsewhere, but there are plenty of elite recruiting targets on the board.
We have seen Michigan football make the final group for some of these prospects, but now it's time to close or at least take a step in that direction. With that in mind, here are five recruits that Michigan needs to make progress with in June.
Carter Meadows, EDGE
Carter Meadows, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound pass pusher from Washington, D.C., might be the top target on the Michigan football recruiting board right now. He's at least near the top of mine.
The kid is one of the elite pass rushers in the 2026 class, but will take an official visit to Michigan this month, along with Penn State, Ohio State, and South Carolina.
It will be the fourth visit to Penn State and his third to Ann Arbor. Michigan needs to close here or at least make a move with one of its top targets.
Savion Hiter, RB
Michigan needs to land an elite running back in the 2026 recruiting class. The Wolverines already missed on Javian Osborne, who committed to Notre Dame.
Savion Hiter, who is 5-foot-11, 220 pounds out of Mineral, Virginia, is ranked 11th overall via the On3 Industry rankings, and No. 1 among running backs.
Michigan football felt like the leader at one time. However, it's a batte of college football powers as Ohio State, Georgia, and Tennessee are also slated for official visits. Hiter has been to Ann Arbor five times -- the same number he has visited Georgia and Ohio State.
The Wolverines need to close here or at least re-gain the momentum and they need to start getting specific about NIL.
Calvin Russell, WR
Michigan football could use an elite wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class, and 6-foot-5 Calvin Russell fits the bill. Out of Miami, Florida, he's ranked 33rd overall, according to the On3 Industry rankings.
The Wolverines just made his top eight earlier this week. He also visited Ann Arbor in March. Michigan is trending up in this recruitment. Florida and Florida State are the only teams with official visits scheduled.
There has been chatter about Russell taking an official visit to Michigan. That would be huge, and would give the Wolverines a legit chance at one of the best wideouts in the 2026 class.
Malakai Lee, OT
6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive tackle Malakai Lee is another top target for the Michigan Wolverines in the 2026 recruiting class. He's the top-ranked player in the state of Hawaii, and is also ranked 10th among offensive tackles, as well as No. 118 overall via the On3 Industry rankings.
Lee has Michigan football in his final four along with Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. Lee already took his official visit to Georgia. Alabama was this weekend, followed by Texas and U-M (June 20th).
The Wolverines have discovered how difficult it can be to find a quality offensive tackle in the transfer portal, so that makes it even more important to land the good ones coming out of high school.
Nick Abrams, LB
Four-star linebacker Nick Abrams, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, out of Owings Mills, Maryland, is another key target to watch for Michigan. He's also the only player on this list that the Wolverines lead with, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction machine.
The Wolverines have a 19 percent chance of landing his commitment. All of these recruitments are contested. USC also leads for Lee, due to earlier predictions, but isn't in the running.
So the prediction machine or even crystal balls don't mean everything. Abrams released a top four this week that includes Oregon, Georgia, and Alabama, in addition to the Wolverines.
Yet, Michigan has had success with players from Maryland. Brian Jean-Mary has been working hard in this recruitment and it feels like a solid official visit can put the Wolverines over the top for the No. 202 recruit overall in the 2026 class.