Michigan and Kyle Whittingham are off to a strong start in July with the first commitment of the month, and this one comes at the expense of rival Ohio State. After a slow June, Whittingham was due for a big recruiting win, and landing a recruit over two Big Ten rivals is always a win.
Four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert Jr. has announced his commitment to Michigan over Ohio State and Indiana. Even though the Hoosiers were on the table, this was a race between the fiercest rivals in college football, and the Wolverines were the team that came out on top. Torbert even made the announcement sweeter by sporting a Charles Woodson jersey after making his decision.
BREAKING: Four-Star CB Monsanna Torbert Jr. has Committed to Michigan, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 1, 2026
The 6’0 175 CB chose the Wolverines over Ohio State and Indiana
“I guess I’m the villain now, GOBLUE”https://t.co/ESqFiFi7Jy pic.twitter.com/xUIrcpxr5W
After Ohio State was favored three predictions to two by Rivals, Michigan took a late lead Tuesday morning when recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong flipped his prediction from Ohio State to Michigan. That flip felt like the turning point for the Wolverines, knowing that Torbert would be in Ann Arbor in 2027 instead of Columbus.
Monsanna Torbert Jr. commitment comes at the perfect time for Kyle Whittingham
June was a tough month on the recruiting trail for Michigan. After a red-hot May, the Wolverines were hoping to keep the streak going, but instead of landing multiple recruits, Michigan saw more losses than wins. Michigan welcomed the majority of its official visitors in June, but only landed a couple of commitments and lost multiple in-state guys.
Some of the biggest losses came from players like in-state five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant, who chose Oregon over Michigan; four-star wide receiver Damani Warren, who chose Texas A&M over the Wolverines; and four-star safety Marcus Jones, who chose Tennessee after being favored to land with Michigan. Every recruit had a visit to Ann Arbor and chose elsewhere in the end.
Torbert's commitment is the first big win for Michigan in a while, and it comes at a great time. Michigan is set to be dealt another blow shortly, with an announcement coming from five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson, but he isn't expected to choose Michigan. Instead, the North Carolina native is heavily favored to pick Shane Beamer and South Carolina.
The news, though, is softened by the knowledge that Michigan is still landing a highly-rated cornerback in a 2027 class that could have lots of talent in the secondary. Torbert is ranked as the No. 106 player nationally and the No. 13 cornerback in the 2027 class according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings.
What makes this win over Ryan Day and Ohio State even better is that Torbert wasn't just a highly sought-after recruit for the Buckeyes, but also an Ohio native. Stealing an in-state recruit away from Day will always be a huge win in the eyes of Michigan fans.
Torbert's commitment rounds out Michigan's 2027 recruting vlass out at an even 20 commits, officially one more than the 2026 recruiting class built by Sherrone Moore. Whittingham still has a few recruits waiting to make their commitments that could choose the Wolverines, so while the 2027 cycle is wrapping up, Michigan could still see this class grow.
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