The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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56 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2025 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan basketball coach Dusty May has worked the recruiting trail diligently since he arrived in Ann Arbor, with great results. He's had suc- cess in both the transfer portal and high school ranks, and while he leaned heav- ily on the former this offseason, he's in- tent on signing some elite preps, as well. Here's where things stand with some of the top targets to join Danish 7-foot-2 center Marcus Moller, U-M's first com- mitment of the 2026 class. All of these players are confirmed fall visitors. QUINN COSTELLO 6-10 • 195 • PF Boston The Newman School Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 49 overall, No. 8 power forward Costello is one of the top shooters in the 2026 class, excelling at just about every event to see his recruitment blow up. Sources say he's going to visit — it's only a matter of when — after head coach Dusty May and his staff followed him closely this summer. From Rivals' Jamie Shaw: " The three schools I am consistently hearing are Michi- gan, Michigan State and Purdue. … Costello jumped to No. 28 in our recent 2026 Rivals ranking update. Speaking with one source, they told me they feel Michigan and Michi- gan State are ahead of the group with Michi- gan carrying some momentum heading into visits." Costello said the relationship with coaches would be big for him, and he's gotten tight with May. "That's a great coaching staff," he said. "I find myself to be most successful in systems where the player-coach relationship is more than just passing a player-coach, when you really get to know each other. I really value that, and so do they. I really like that about them. "It's Michigan. The Big House. They took me everywhere, and all the facilities are amazing. The football field is ginormous. It's awesome." GAGE MAYFIELD 6-7 • 190 • SF Moundville (Ala.) Hale County Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 69 overall, No. 21 power forward The Wolverines also made the final five for the recent offeree along with Tennessee, Florida State, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. He has already visited Tennessee and FSU and will see Michigan Sept. 20. "That's a very hard-working program where the coaches really try their best to push the players to be the best people and reach their full potential," he told Rivals at the end of July. "The piece of Mayfield's game that sticks out regularly is his defensive presence," Shaw reported. "… He has intriguing instincts to go along with athletic pop. He needs to continue to refine his offensive game, but he is consis- tently finding production on the floor." LUCA FOSTER 6-5 • 185 • SF Branson (Mo.) Link Academy Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 37 overall, No. 15 small forward Another huge riser in the rankings, climb- ing 38 spots, Foster scheduled his first offi- cial visit to Michigan. He'll be on campus for the Sept. 13 football weekend with Central Michigan and will also visit Villanova Aug. 29, Oklahoma Sept. 6, Georgetown Sept. 20, Ohio State Sept. 27, Virginia Oct. 4 and Gonzaga Oct. 11. "I'd like to call myself a wing who can han- dle the ball," Foster told Rivals. "I can knock down shots, play above the rim, create for my teammates, and play defense. I feel like I can do a little bit of everything on the floor." He was one of the top performers at the July 13 Nike EYBL event in North Augusta, S.C. Rivals' Joe Tipton called him the No. 2 player he saw on Saturday that weekend. "The 6-5 wing plays the right way, can score it in a variety of ways, and stays composed," he reported. TONI BRYANT 6-10 • 215 • PF Tampa (Fla.) Zephyrhills Christian Academy Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 14 overall, No. 3 power forward Bryant has taken two official visits — Ole Miss and Boston College — and has a six-visit schedule from August to September that includes Florida State, North Carolina, Mis- souri, NC State, Michigan, and Kansas. Tipton said he hears Missouri the most, though NC State and Kansas are also up there. " They recruited me when they were at FAU. The whole staff went to Michigan, and they offered me — they were one of my first bigger offers," Bryant said. "It's just been love there since the beginning. … They told me that they can develop me into playing like [former U-M big man] Danny Wolf." ANTHONY THOMPSON 6-8 • 185 • SF Lebanon (Ohio) Western Reserve Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 6 overall, No. 2 small forward Thompson will visit U-M Sept. 5, North Car- olina Aug. 22, Ohio State on Aug. 29, Indiana Sept. 12, Texas on Sept. 19, and Kentucky Sept. 24. Purdue is also in the mix. He's ex- pected to commit shortly thereafter and sign in November. "He has kept his recruitment close to the vest, but sources say schools like Michigan and Indiana are in the top tier of consider- ation," Tipton said. "Texas is a dark horse. I've also been told to not discount the efforts of Ohio State, the in-state program, as well as Kentucky." He's just scratching the surface of his po- tential, Shaw reported this summer. "The long-armed, 6-7 forward made his mark within this class as a shooter," Shaw said. "His game developed this summer, and he went for 35 or more points three times throughout the Adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships. While attacking the basket more, Thompson is still a threat from out- side, knocking down 45.5 percent of his 4.6 attempts per game in July." ❑ ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Wolverines Are In Great Shape With Several Top Targets Lebanon (Ohio) Western Reser ve's Anthony Thompson is scheduled to visit Michigan the weekend of Sept. 5-6. He's rated as the No. 6 overall player and No. 2 small forward in the Rivals Industry Ranking. PHOTO BY MICK WALKER/LETTERMAN ROW