Michigan football is building a recruiting pipeline in Utah, or at least taking advantage of Kyle Whittingham's old stomping grounds.
Not only did Whittingham take a bunch of former Utah assistants with him when he took the Michigan football head coaching job, but he also landed some top players from Utah in the portal.
Now, that success is starting translate to the recruiting trail.
It already manifested itself in April, when Michigan was able to flip four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati from West Valley City, Utah. He was a Utah recruit, then an Illinois commitment. The Wolverines eventually turned him into a Michigan pledge.
It doesn't look like a flip will be required to land another four-star prospect from Utah, this time in the 2028 class.
Major Stokes, who is 6-foot-5, 237-pound EDGE, has been projected to commit to the Wolverines by Ethan McDowell of The Wolverine following a multi-day visit that coincided with Victors Weekend.
Stokes is a disruptive force. He had 42 tackles this past season. More impressively, he was credited with 29.5 tackles for loss, as well as 11.5 sacks. That followed an impressive freshman season that featured 60 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and three sacks.
Whittingham and the Utes offered Stokes back in February of 2025. The Wolverines offered him soon after Whittingham took over. Stokes was made a priority, and that effort, along with getting him on campus this weekend, was critical for Michigan.
Michigan fotball projected to land four-star EDGE over strong list of contenders
Stokes is ranked 74th overall via Rivals Industry Rankings and the 247 Sports composite rankings. His recruitment has taken off in recent months, with teams such as Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Washington, Alabama, Purdue, Houston, Stanford, Miami, SMU, USC, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and UCLA all entering the mix, along with Boise State, BYU, Utah, and Texas Tech.
Stokes is ranked 10th among EDGE prospects and is highly-touted. Landing his commitment would be a tone-setter in the 2028 class for Michigan, which landed its first pledge over the weekend (a kicker).
The Wolverines have two Utah recruits committed in the 2027 class after the commitment of a three-star tight end Christian Hanshaw on Sunday. He's a mid-range three-star, but is also taking a two-year mission after high school. Jag Ioane, a three-star EDGE from Orem, playing at the same high school as Stokes, was also in Ann Arbor for an official visit. He is someone to watch, too.
There were multiple visitors from Utah over the weekend. That's not something that should change moving forward. Michigan isn't going to be built on Utah recruits, but the best players in the state might end up at Michigan, at least for the next few years.
Stokes seems to be next.
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