The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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50 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2025 Michigan offered Blake Betton on Aug. 4, and the class of 2027 linebacker pros- pect's interest in the Wolverines has in- creased exponentially. He's researching the school, bonding with the staff and planning his first visit. The Shakopee (Minn.) High standout is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound defender who has the versatility to line up all over the field. Michigan offered him to play linebacker. He locked in an Oct. 4 visit with U-M for the program's Big Ten home opener against Wisconsin. Betton wants to check out The Big House and has already watched a facility tour on YouTube. Michigan is super ap- pealing to the emerging Midwest standout. "I feel like there's not really many more boxes you can check than what Michigan has," Betton said. "That place is just un- believable." Recruiting analyst Avery Bean reached out to offer Betton. Iowa, Missouri and Il- linois have extended scholarships as well. His recruitment has been steadily heating up this year, and the offer from Michigan stood out. "That's one of the best programs in the nation. When you hear from a school like Michigan, that just hits different, and I was nothing but grateful just to hear from them," Betton said. During his sophomore season, Betton helped lead Shakopee to a 10-2 record and a state semifinal appearance with an 87-tackle, 4-interception campaign. He worked on his explosiveness and strength this offseason so that when he hits someone, the linebacker goes right through them. Betton outlined what Michigan likes about his game, high- lighted by his football IQ. "They said they like my instincts a lot and how you can tell I'm just natural out there and really thoughtful when I'm out on the field," Betton said. He wants to find a program that will put time and resources toward develop- ing him into an NFL-caliber linebacker. The rising junior is also looking for a locker room with no big egos, strong academics and a coaching staff he really trusts. Earlier this summer, Betton visited Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and North- western. He will check out a few of those schools again this fall while also stopping by Ann Arbor for a game day. His initial conversations with Bean have gone well, and his relationship with the program will continue to grow as he spends more time on campus. "Obviously you can tell they really care about you as a person and a player, and [Bean] was also really fired up," Betton said. "He talked a lot about how I can add value to their program. He watched my film and was very excited about that and just talked about next steps and how I can get up there for a game day or just even see the campus." — Ethan McDowell Michigan will build upon its long- standing relationship with Colt Lumpris this fall. The Wolverines have a unique connection to the Rivals300 tight end, and he's continuing to bond with the program as his recruitment heats up. Lumpris, the No. 183 recruit in the Ri- vals Industry Ranking out of The Law- renceville School in Tolland, Conn., picked up his U-M offer more than a year ago after impressing at a camp. He knows offensive line coach Grant New- some well because they went to the same high school. "We've just got that connection be- cause he's from my school," Lumpris said. "He gets everything about it. We could talk about pretty much anything because he gets it all." Newsome isn't his position coach but, thanks to their preexisting relationship, Lumpris talks more to him than any other coach on Michigan's staff. The No. 14 tight end in the country is enjoying the chance to hear from the staff directly. "I have known Coach Newsome for a while. He would come to my school, and we'd talk then. Now, being able to text them and call them is a pretty cool experience," Lumpris said. Ohio State, Penn State, Florida State and Alabama are just a few schools that have also offered the 6-foot-5, 220-pound pass catcher. He plans on visiting Michigan for the Ohio State game later this fall. During that trip to Ann Arbor, the cov- eted tight end wants to learn more about the Wolverines' offensive personnel and strengthen his in-person connections with the program. Michigan already in- trigues Lumpris based on what the pro- gram offers off the field. "I'm big on education because I go to a very high academic school," Lumpris said. "Also on great football and just hav- ing good connections with the coaches and everyone there in general." Lumpris caught 13 passes for 166 yards and 1 touchdown over three games with reported stats last fall. He earned his Michigan offer earlier that year after a pri- vate workout with the staff before a camp. The tight end spent a lot of time this offseason working on his releases. He wants to use his physicality to his ad- vantage. In addition to football, Lumpris also stars as a lacrosse player. He visited Georgia, Florida, Ohio State and North Carolina this summer. His re- cruitment is already extremely crowded, and he explained how schools will start to separate themselves as he kicks off his junior season. "It'll definitely come down to not just football," Lumpris said. "It's the connec- tions that you have with people." — Ethan McDowell Rising LB Blake Betton Sets First Michigan Visit Rivals300 TE Colt Lumpris Builds Upon Unique Michigan Connection ❱ PREP PROFILES ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Shakopee High Shakopee, Minn. Class: 2027 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 200 Rivals Rankings: Unranked ❱ Blake Betton ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ The Lawrenceville School Tolland, Conn. Class: 2027 Position: Tight end Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 220 Rivals Rankings: No. 249 overall, No. 18 tight end nationally ❱ Colt Lumpris