The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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48 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2024 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK program he's interested in looking into more. Georgia Tech was the only school Brice officially visited this summer. "Michigan is still on my radar," Brice said. "I like Michigan. They play good football. I want to go somewhere I can compete, and I feel pretty good about Michigan. They're on the back of my mind. I think I fit in well. Their pro- style offense is pretty similar to what we do at my school. "I would like to see Michigan one more time for an official visit. Spend more time with the coaches and hear what they have to say." At 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Brice is listed as the No. 44 athlete in the coun- try and the No. 116 prospect in Georgia, according to On3. — Zach Libby QB COMMIT NAMED MAXPREPS ALL-AMERICAN Top-100 quarterback Brady Hart, who is pledged to Michigan's 2026 class, has been named a preseason MaxPreps Junior All-American. Hart was listed on the first team along with fellow top-100 quarterback Ryder Lyons of Folsom (Calif.) High. Hart is coming off a sensational sophomore season that saw him throw for 3,759 yards and 41 touchdowns en route to leading Cocoa (Fla.) High to a 2S state championship. Hart's signature performance came in just his third varsity start when he lit up national powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas to the tune of 493 yards and 5 touchdowns in a heart- breaking 37-36 defeat — Cocoa's lone loss of the season. It wouldn't be surprising to see Hart challenge fellow Michigan quarterback commit Carter Smith (2025) for the Ga- torade Player of the Year honors in the state of Florida and continue to climb up the recruiting rankings this season. Hart committed to Michigan in June over offers from Clemson, Florida, Flor- ida State, LSU, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Or- egon, Penn State, Texas A&M and others. He made his first visit to Michigan right before his verbal pledge and re- turned to Ann Arbor late in July for the BBQ at The Big House. He has remained completely locked in with the Wolver- ines and is set on building the 2026 class. "The BBQ was a really fun time," Hart said. "We had so many elite players on one field running some routes and spending time together. We played some games and beat up on each other on EA. It was awesome. The 2026 class is going to be really special. I'm excited to see what guys jump on board." Hart is part of a two-man 2026 Mich- igan recruiting class, which now also features On300 Jacksonville (Fla.) Man- darin cornerback Brody Jennings. At 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, Hart is ranked as the No. 9 quarterback and No. 97 overall recruit nationally in the 2026 class, per the On3 Industry Rank- ing. He is also ranked as the No. 17 ju- nior prospect in the state of Florida. Hart is the only Michigan commit, regardless of class, to be named a pre- season MaxPreps All-American. Several 2026 Michigan recruiting tar- gets were featured on the list, includ- ing Woodberry Forest (Va.) School top- 100 running back Savion Hiter, Detroit Cass Tech top-100 wide receiver CJ Sadler, Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day top-100 offensive lineman Leo Delaney, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy On300 offensive lineman Breck Kolojay and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy top-100 safety Zech Fort. — EJ Holland ON300 DB KAINOA WINSTON LOCKED IN WITH MICHIGAN On300 Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga defensive back Kainoa Winston gave Michigan a verbal pledge in mid-June. Winston was considered a Penn State lean for the majority of the recruiting cycle. However, he loved his official visit to Michigan and made his decision just a few weeks later. Fast forward to now, and Winston is still feeling great about his verbal pledge to the Wolverines. "I'm feeling strong about Michigan," Winston said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm 100 percent Michigan. I'm just happy I don't have to go through the recruiting process. I'm just getting to know the people at Michigan and stay- ing committed. I'm focused on Michi- gan and my senior season. "Michigan felt a lot like Gonzaga. There are a lot of similarities with education and football. It just felt like home. Good people and good vibe." Winston returned to Michigan for the BBQ at The Big House in late July and once again felt right at home. "It was fun," Winston said. "I got to know a lot of different people. I worked on getting Jayden Sanders. We chopped it up a little bit. I got to see some of the other commits in my class, too. We got Michigan quarterback commit Brady Hart was a first-team preseason MaxPreps junior All-America pick. He threw for 3,759 yards and 41 touchdowns as a sophomore. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND