The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 45 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK his commitment to Michigan on Oct. 30. "Circumstances have changed, and we think the best option moving forward is to open his recruitment up," Smith's father, Dan, told The Wolverine. Smith notched an offer from Michigan in November 2023 while on an unoffi- cial visit and gave the Wolverines a verbal pledge later that month. Smith, who was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida, picked Michigan over offers from Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and others. However, Michigan recently jumped back in the race for five-star Belleville (Mich.) High quarterback Bryce Under- wood. This move obviously caused some tension behind the scenes, and Smith de- cided it was best to explore other options. Underwood, the No. 1-ranked recruit nationally, has been committed to LSU since January. Michigan has a significant NIL offer on the table and is doing ev- erything it can to flip him before signing day. With Smith no longer in the class, it is imperative for the Wolverines to land Underwood. Michigan did push to keep Smith in its 2025 class despite the Underwood situ- ation. However, those efforts to hold his verbal pledge fell short. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Smith is ranked as the No. 15 quarterback and No. 196 overall prospect nationally, per On3. 2026 QB COMMIT BRADY HART REMAINS LOCKED IN On3 Top 100 2026 Michigan quarter- back commit Brady Hart made his second visit of the fall when U-M faced Oregon on Nov. 2. Hart, who picked U-M in June, is the most highly touted quarterback prospect to commit to the Wolverines since J.J. McCarthy, and he has remained fully locked in. This visit only reinforced his pledge to the program. "I loved being up there with everyone and spending time with the coaches and whole staff in general," Hart said. "I had a chance to recruit some guys, and it was an amazing atmosphere. I'm really get- ting comfortable with all the staff. I really enjoyed it." The visit also served as a big recruit- ing opportunity for Hart, who has been extremely vocal on the trail. "I sat with [On300 2026 tight end] Matt Ludwig and talked with him for a while," Hart said. "He was an awesome kid. Same with [Top 100 2026 tight end] Brock Harris and [four-star 2026 tight end] Lincoln Keyes. I really spent a lot of time with all of those guys. I just told them there is nothing fake about Michigan. What you see is what you get. I commit- ted because of all the amazing things that go on behind the scenes and the staff." Hart bonded with fellow 2026 com- mit Jaylen Pile during the trip as well; the three-star wide receiver gave U-M a ver- bal pledge in October. "I sat right next to Jaylen," Hart said. "We hung out and talked for a while. It was awesome. It was the first time I really got to hang out with his family. I really enjoyed spending time with them. It was fun. I think we're going to be good friends." Hart is fully locked in with Michigan, and that won't change even if the Wolver- ines do land five-star 2025 quarterback Bryce Underwood. "I think it's a good thing," Hart said. "As a program, you want to get the best guy in each class. I think it's super important for recruiting and building that 2025 class. I think it would be good to keep building the quarterback room." Hart, who is ranked as the No. 11 quar- terback and No.160 overall prospect nationally in the 2026 cycle, added that he's excited about the overall momentum Michigan has built on the recruiting trail during the last month. "I'm pumped," he said. "It's huge for the future of the program. I can't wait to get in the building with those guys and build a championship team." 2026 COMMITS MOVE IN ON3 RANKINGS UPDATE On3 released its new rankings for the 2026 recruiting class in October. The up- date featured some interesting movement for Michigan commits. Cocoa (Fla.) High quarterback Brady Hart moved up seven spots from No. 167 to No. 160. While Michigan's prized pledge technically saw his stock increase, this ranking still appears to be too low for Hart, who was On3's MVP on the final day of Under Armour's prestigious Future 50 event in the summer. Hart is also having a strong junior cam- paign while facing Florida powerhouses like Bradenton IMG Academy, Venice High and Miami Norland. Hart committed to Michigan in June over offers from Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M and others. Hart, the No. 91 player and No. 8 quarterback in the junior class per the On3 Industry Ranking, had passed for 2,259 yards and 21 touchdowns through seven games this fall against a challeng- ing schedule. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND