Michigan football is starting to build a recruiting identity under Kyle Whittingham, and one thing it might include is forging a pipeline in Ohio.
Whittingham, who hasn't coached a game for Michigan football yet, landed four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert in the 2027 class, winning a head-to-head battle with the Buckeyes.
That was the biggest recruiting win for Michigan football in the state of Ohio since Jordan Marshall. Traditionally, the Wolverines have recruited well in the Buckeye state, but that started to change once Urban Meyer became the head coach. Heck, even before that.
Michigan's last two Heisman trophy winners, Charles Woodson and Desmond Howard, each hailed from Ohio. Keeping the best players in Michigan is critical, but so is getting some gems from enemy territory.
Michigan hoping for multiple blue-chips from Ohio in 2028
Recently, the Wolverines were projected to land another blue-chip, Asa Burch, from the state of Ohio. He's a Michigan legacy with an Ohio State offer. He's ranked No. 129 overall in the 2028 class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
That would be another significant recruiting victory in Ohio, but Michigan is looking for more. One name to know is four-star running back Carte Ligon, who is ranked 157th overall in the 2028 class via the 247 Sports composite rankings. He's also ranked fifth in Ohio.
Ligon accounted for 2,559 yards last season, with 2,262 coming on the ground. He's already visited Ann Arbor once. However, he has visited Ohio State, too, even though he doesn't have an offer from the Buckeyes...yet.
Ohio State is choosy with the recruit it offers scholarships to. It has that luxury. Michigan does, too, but not the same level. So we'll see if Ligon gets an offer from Ohio State.
If not, it feels like the door is wide open for the Wolverines. Brice Marich of The Michigan Insider reported that Ligon is expected to get back to Ann Arbor for a Gameday visit in the fall.
Michigan and Ohio State were the only teams to host him for a visit this spring, at least according to his Rivals profie, so Michigan getting him back for another visit would be significant.
Surely, Ligon will take other visits this fall, but it's not hard to see Michigan moving to the top of this recruitment, especially with the way the Wolverines like to run the ball. Tony Alford is also one of Michigan's best recruiters.
As far as Ohio, Jim Harding used to be a high school coach in Ohio. Kerry Coombs used to be the Buckeyes' defensive and special teams coordinator. He's the Michigan special teams coordinator now; still, that's two coaches with ties to the state.
Whittingham has made recruiting Ohio a priortiy, and so far, it's working.
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