The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543210
MARCH 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 45 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Running back Jonathan Brown had only one Power Four offer before Michigan came calling, and it was from Rutgers. The three-star recruit could be the next diamond in the rough for position coach Tony Alford and U-M. This past summer, Brown at- tended the Sound Mind Sound Body satellite camp at Wayne State University in Detroit and reconnected with Alford, who's also Michigan's run game coor- dinator. "We had a prior relationship before that when he was at OSU," Brown explained. "I'm originally from Columbus, so we had that connection. I saw him there, and he remembered me from Colum- bus. He was like, 'I want to invite you to one of our camps.'" Brown made it to Ann Arbor for Michigan's final camp of the season and showed out, earning running back MVP honors. "I jumped a 40-inch vertical, ran a 4.5 [40-yard dash] and jumped a 10-6 broad jump. I think I had like a 4.3, 4.2 shuttle. I impressed the coaching staff, and that's how I got the offer." Days after that life-changing mo- ment, Brown committed to Michigan. "I knew what I had to do, because I know the type of player that I am," Brown said of proving himself at the camp. "Some of my film may not show that, but I feel like I knew that I could compete and put my name out there. I knew the gifts that I had were [better] than most people thought." Proving himself right and oth- ers wrong, Brown carries a chip on his shoulder. "It drives me in the biggest way, be- cause I know what kind of player I am," he said. "I have been looked down upon and not given the respect that I feel I deserve. I feel like I work hard each and every day to prove what I can do." Now he'll prove it in a winged helmet as opposed to being an Ohio State Buckeye, the program he rooted for growing up. "Huge Ohio State fan," a laughing Brown said of his alle- giances while growing up. "But it feels good to be a Mich- igan Man." He's all in for the Wolverines now, and is set to be coached by Alford, who also switched sides in the rivalry, having been an as- sistant at OSU from 2015-23. "[Former OSU running back] Ezekiel Elliott, who grew up in Ohio, was my favorite player," Brown revealed. "I know that Coach Alford developed him and got him to where he needed to be. And I'm looking forward to it." At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Brown plans to gain 15 pounds before the start of his freshman season (he put on 30 before his senior year of high school). His "break- away speed" is his biggest strength, but he's working toward running with more power in college. He's one of two running backs in the 2026 class, along with five- star Savion Hiter, and the two could be an effective tandem for U-M down the line. "I can really see us making something happen here," Brown said. ❑ Jonathan Brown Driven To 'Make Something Happen' Brown, an Ohio native who grew up rooting for the Buckeyes, posted 2,231 career rushing yards for St. Francis DeSales High. PHOTO BY ETHAN MCDOWELL JONATHAN BROWN RUNNING BACK 6-2 • 200 ST. FRANCIS DESALES WESTERVILLE, OHIO RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪ 802 49 38 ✪✪✪ — 74 54 ✪✪✪ — 52 39 ✪✪✪ — 30 23 STATISTICS Year Rush Yds. TD 2025 — 473 6 2024 202 1,295 16 2023 75 463 5 HONORS • Earned PrepStar All-Midwest Region honors as a senior. • All-Ohio honorable mention choice in 2024. • Two-time all-district honoree (first team, 2024; honorable mention, 2025). • Three-time All-Central Catholic League (first team in 2024 and '25; honorable mention in 2023). RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan on June 21, 2025. • Picked U-M over offers from Rutgers, Kent State, Army, Navy and Air Force. DID YOU KNOW? • A three-year letter winner in football. • Helped lead the Stallions to a 9-3 mark and the Ohio D2 Region 7 semifinal in 2025. • A two-way contributor who started at run- ning back and safety; finished top-10 in program history in career touchdowns and rushing yards (2,231). • Also lettered in baseball. • Son of Marquist and Shamecia Brown. • Born Feb. 21, 2008. THEY SAID IT St. Francis DeSales head coach Ryan Wiggins: "Since he's been young, he's been a game breaker- type player. He's the kind of guy who could make explosive plays with the ball in his hands. And he's always been that way since I remember, but over this past year and a half, the physical development and the growth have been impressive. He put on 25 or 30 pounds of muscle. His numbers, like his 40 times and his vertical and all those types of things, are really impressive. It's all coming together." 2026 PROJECTION Brown was an upside take by Tony Alford af- ter Michigan's running backs coach watched him dominate in a camp setting in the summer before his senior year. His explosiveness and potential caught the program's attention. He will likely red- shirt and continue to develop in a talented running back room.