Coming off of an excellent 2025 recruiting class, Michigan football is looking to have an even better class in 2026. With their new NIL power, the Wolverines are taking their chances with the top recruits in the nation, and actually have an advantage over most, if not all schools.
Of course, this leads us to wonder which five-star recruits Michigan is looking the best with? The Wolverines have already hosted a few five stars, despite visits just starting, and will host even more over the next few months. Here are some that are trending positively for Michigan football.
#1 Recruit Jackson Cantwell
Michigan just hosted Cantwell, the #1 recruit in the nation, for an unofficial visit. By all accounts, things went very well. This is a recruitment that's been relatively quiet thus far; most think that Georgia and Oregon are his top schools, but all five contenders (Michigan, Missouri, and Miami being the other three) seem to be close to the top.
Michigan has been very aggressive with Cantwell thus far, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Wolverines take a won't be outbid approach here. We've seen Michigan prioritize the trenches, and this would fall in line with that approach.
Since Michigan has NIL power now, it's no longer a negative when they're in recruiting battles against schools like Oregon and Miami. In fact, they may even have the advantage over those schools. That means that this one could come down to relationships and play style. I'd argue that both would favor the Wolverines.
Cantwell is scheduled to take his official visit to Michigan on June 13th, before making a summer decision. We should have a much clearer picture of the recruitment around that time, but I'd say Michigan definitely has some positive momentum here. Cantwell ending up in Ann Arbor is a very real possibility.
5-Star EDGE Carter Meadows
I recently wrote that Michigan football was trending up with Meadows, and just a few days later, that still remains the case. Michigan's biggest competition with the DC native appears to be Penn State. Meadows, coming from one of the top academic high schools in the nation, is prioritizing both academics and athletics in his college decision.
That would seem to favor Michigan. Especially if NIL becomes a factor, the Wolverines should be able to gain an advantage over Penn State. This is definitely one to keep an eye on, as Meadows hasn't scheduled an official visit to Michigan yet. That seems to imply that his recruitment could go into the regular season. With Penn State being projected as a top five team in the nation, that could be an advantage for the Nittany Lions.
But ultimately, Michigan wants an elite defensive line class, and it all starts with Meadows. He's one of the premier EDGE recruits in the nation, and is very interested in Michigan.
5-Star RB Savion Hiter
While there hasn't been much news surrounding Hiter recently, there has been some news about the other top-100 running back that Michigan football is targeting, Javian Osborne. Osborne recently visited Notre Dame and had a fantastic visit. While he is still scheduled to visit Ann Arbor this Spring, Notre Dame is very much a contender for his services.
That increased competition could make Michigan become more aggressive with Hiter, who the Wolverines already seemingly lead for. Hiter is scheduled to take his official visit to Michigan on June 13th. A summer decision is likely with Hiter.
I'd expect Michigan to put forth a substantial NIL deal here. They know how valuable a running back like Hiter could be, and I expect them to be very aggressive in trying to secure his commitment.
Ultimately, I don't think it's crazy to imagine a world where Michigan lands all three of these five stars. The Wolverines are in a great position with all of them, and should be able to compete up until the final day of each recruitment. Stay tuned as the summer approaches and these recruitments approach their conclusion.