The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 17 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 25 25 M c D o n a l d 's All-Americans in Michigan basketball pro- gram history, with four-star signee QUINN COSTELLO being the latest in 2026. The No. 30 overall player in the country per Rivals is the Wolverines' second 'Burger Boy' in as many years, with freshman guard Trey McKenney having been selected to the roster in 2025. 9 Of the 28 writers from The Ath- letic who were surveyed believe Michigan is one of the teams that didn't make the CFP in 2025 but will in 2026. That was tied for the fourth-most tallies (LSU), behind only Notre Dame (23), Texas (17) and BYU (11). +3000 Odds for Michigan to win the national championship in football in 2026, the 13th-best in the country according to BetMGM, behind only Ohio State (+600), Notre Dame (+700), Oregon (+700), Texas (+700), Indiana (+800), Georgia (+900), LSU (+1200), Alabama (+1500), Miami (+1500), Texas A&M (+1500), Texas Tech (+1500) and Clemson (+2500). 2.76 Million Average viewers on FOX for Michigan's 83-71 win over Michigan State Jan. 30, with the broad- cast peaking at 3.33 million tuned in. It was the fifth-most-watched men's college basketball game ever on FOX and the most-watched FOX college basketball Friday game ever. My wife watched Michigan-Michigan State with me Friday. Her one ob- servation: Coach DUSTY MAY always looks like he's smiling. Blow an 18-point lead? Still smiling. Michigan State takes the lead with 7:27 left? Still smiling. May doesn't allow for the emotions of the game to get him too worked up. It's Brad Stevens-esque. His team reflected that unnerved approach. Once the Spartans took the lead, the Wolverines closed the game by scoring 28 points in their final 13 possessions." — The Athletic's CJ Moore This year, we expected to win. We like our team a lot. We think there's great substance. I know people out- side of our tribe will call our guys these deroga- tory names, mercenaries and whatnot. We have a group of guys that love playing with each other, they appreciate Michigan, and you see how con- nected they are. I don't know how you would classify them as guys playing just for money when they all sacrifice a great deal of money to do what they're doing together." — Michigan head coach Dusty May on his team's win over Michigan State Jan. 30 The No. 2 running back in the class, Hiter checks a lot of boxes NFL teams look for in running backs. His 6-foot, 200-pound frame is built to withstand a heavy workload, yet Hiter gets in and out of cuts quite quickly for his size. He can get downhill with a rare blend of burst and contact balance, but he also runs with enough patience and vision to let holes develop. Hiter's also impactful in the passing game with great ball skills and hand size (10 inches) that would rank among the top running backs over the last five NFL combines. Patience might be required early with Jordan Marshall ahead of him, but Hiter has the physical profile and skill set of a future three-down NFL back." — ESPN analysts Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill naming Michigan signee SAVION HITER as having the most "NFL upside" of any running back in the 2026 recruiting cycle Trey McKenney, for a freshman to come in and his defense be on par with his offense is incredibly rare, when you're an All-American offensively. Ultimately, in high school, they're not choosing you based on your defense. He's been unbeliev- able on the defensive side of the ball, as far as his desire to improve, his basketball IQ. He is bright. He's tough, he has great self-awareness, he respects the guys on his team. When he's not getting all that he desires, he realizes why at that moment, and he doesn't get down about it. He's getting better and better, and his role is growing. It's because of the way we're functioning when he's in the game and because he's so reliable and dependable." — Michigan head coach Dusty May PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/RIVALS PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY MICK WALKER/LETTERMEN ROW