The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 47 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK S JORDAN DECK FRISCO (TEXAS) LONE STAR (2026 U-M COMMIT) I saw Deck at a private training ses- sion with secondary coach Shaun Gra- ham. A four-star Michigan commit, Deck worked on various individual drills and looked impressive during the hour-long workout. What really stood out to me was Deck's improved fluid- ity — something that I knocked when I previously saw him practice in the spring. He looked comfortable breaking on balls and flipping his hips. His back- pedal looked smooth as well. Deck still has a bit of a thin upper half, but there is a lot to like about his frame. It wouldn't be surprising to see him add another 20 pounds and easily play north of 200. MICHIGAN HIRES NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING Michigan promoted from within to fill out its recruiting staff going into the fall. Richard Perry, a former football recruit- ing analyst for the Wolverines, is now the program's assistant director of recruiting according to his Twitter account. He previously helped Ron Bellamy re- cruit wide receivers and played an impor- tant role in building relationships with the likes of Rivals300 athlete CJ Sadler and Rivals 300 wide receiver Jaden Up- shaw. Both recruits mentioned Perry in previous interviews with The Wolverine. "I've been talking to my guy Rich," Sadler, a Detroit native who is ranked as the No. 257 player and No. 9 athlete in the 2026 class by Rivals, said earlier this year. "He's a cool dude man. I've been building a relationship with him." "He's just a real guy," said Upshaw, the No. 143 prospect and No. 25 wide receiver in the 2027 class. "I know he's a recruiter and all, but he'll just keep it real." Michigan's wide receiver recruiting heated up this cycle with Travis Johnson, the No. 130 player and No. 17 pass catcher in the country per Rivals, Zion Robinson, listed as the nation's No. 181 prospect and No. 17 wide receiver in the Rivals Industry Ranking, and longtime three-star pledge Jaylen Pile all committing to the program. Perry graduated from Michigan with a master's degree in sport management in December 2024 while working for the football team. He joined the Wolverines in August 2023 as a recruiting/person- nel intern and worked in that job for nine months before U-M promoted him to his analyst role. After more than a year in that posi- tion, the Wolverines moved him up the ranks once again to the assistant direc- tor of recruiting role. Perry fills the po- sition left by Jack Dunaway, a former Michigan linebacker who left the Wol- verines for a scouting assistant job with the Seattle Seahawks. Prior to his current two-year stint in Ann Arbor, Perry attended Michigan State and graduated with a bachelor's degree in organizational communica- tion. He also spent 18 months as a com- munication relations and recruiting in- tern for the Spartans' football program. Michigan general manager Sean Magee leads the team's personnel and recruiting departments. Sam Popper oversees one of the wings as the director of recruiting. The Wolverines have shown a willingness to hire and promote from within during Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore's re- spective tenures as head coach, building a pipeline of recruiting staffers who have spent years in the program and under- stand the culture around the university. Perry will work alongside director of on-campus recruiting Kayli Johnson, who also used to work for MSU, and John Collins, Michigan's other assis- tant director of recruiting, who has been with the program since March 2024, among others. Collins has strong connections to the state of Georgia and used to work for UGA. Johnson competed in track and field at Michigan State and Texas Tech before taking a job as the assistant di- rector of recruiting operations at Rut- gers. She's the sister of former Michigan standout cornerback Will Johnson. — Ethan McDowell RIVALS300 WIDE RECEIVER ENROLLING EARLY AT U-M It won't be long before Travis John- son arrives at Michigan. 2026 MICHIGAN COMMITMENTS Name Rating* Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Dorian Barney HHH CB 6-0 170 Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton) McHale Blade HHHH EDGE 6-5 255 Chicago (Simeon) Tariq Boney HHH EDGE 6-1 230 Washington, D.C. (St. John's College) Mason Bonner HHH TE 6-6 200 Denver (Mullen) Jonathan Brown HHH RB 6-1 200 Columbus, Ohio (St. Francis DeSales) Andre Clarke HHHH S 6-0 165 Richmond, Va. (Hermitage) Markel Dabney HHH LB 6-1 210 Richmond, Va. (Huguenot) Titan Davis HHHH DL 6-4 262 St. Louis (De Smet) Jordan Deck HHHH S 6-3 180 Frisco, Texas (Lone Star) Colton Dermer HHH LS 6-1 235 Phoenix (Sandra Day O'Connor) Micah Drescher HHH K 6-2 190 Hinsdale, Ill. (Hinsdale Central) Savion Hiter HHHHH RB 5-11 200 Mineral, Va. (Louisa County) Travis Johnson HHHH WR 6-3 180 Chesapeake, Va. (Oscar Smith) Malakai Lee HHHH OT 6-7 310 Honolulu (Kamehameha Secondary) Matt Ludwig HHHH TE 6-4 240 Billings, Mont. (Billings West) Bear McWhorter HHH IOL 6-3 308 Cartersville, Ga. (Cass) Carter Meadows HHHHH EDGE 6-6 225 Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga) Jaylen Pile HHH WR 6-0 178 Dallas (Parish Episcopal School) Zion Robinson HHH WR 6-2 175 Mansfield, Texas (Mansfield) Brady Smigiel HHHH QB 6-4 215 Newbury Park, Calif. (Newbury Park) Alister Vallejo HHHH DL 6-3 310 Liberty Hill, Texas (Liberty Hill) Marky Walbridge HHHH IOL 6-5 285 Needham, Mass. (St. Sebastian's School) Julian Walker HHHH EDGE 6-6 240 Columbia, S.C. (Dutch Fork) 2027 MICHIGAN COMMITMENTS Name Rating* Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Peter Bourque HHHH QB 6-4 195 Hingham, Mass. (Tabor Academy) Tristan Dare HHH IOL 6-4 260 Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll) Louis Esposito HHH IOL 6-4 255 Saline, Mich. (Saline) * Rivals player ratings as of Aug. 19