The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL M ichigan head coach Kyle Whitting- ham spent his first couple of weeks on the job making a slew of phone calls, meeting with athletes and parents and working tirelessly alongside his staff to keep the roster together. The program's new leader hit the re- cruiting trail in January only after battling to retain the core of the 2025 Wolverines and the 2026 recruiting class. He brought several Utah stars in from the transfer portal and reinforced the roster for his first run in Maize and Blue. During a Big Ten Network interview on National Signing Day, Whittingham said recruiting to Michigan isn't all that differ- ent compared to Utah. It doesn't matter where you are in the country, he explained, it's all the same once you sit down with a coach or an athlete. "Now, one thing at Michigan, obviously, is we're coast to coast, casting a very wide net for our recruiting," Whittingham said. "There's nowhere we don't go." During his first few days running the Michigan program, he called each class of 2026 signee and started to build relation- ships. Whittingham is putting in the work necessary to establish connections with the next wave of Wolverines. "They were all excited about, not nec- essarily the coaching change, but to con- tinue to be a Michigan man and play for Michigan," Whittingham said. He signed multiple Top 100 recruits during the 2026 cycle at Utah, includ- ing Kelvin Obot — Rivals' No. 5 recruit in the country. Whittingham prioritized his home state and built a winning program during his 21-year stint with the Utes. "Utah was one of the most consistent programs in the country under Coach Whittingham," Rivals vice president Steve Wiltfong told The Wolverine. "They re- cruited hard-nosed, tough, physical foot- ball players." Whittingham is one of the winningest active coaches in college football and also one of the oldest at 66 years old. Still, he showed a willingness to adapt to the changing landscape of the sport this cycle. "They also had some big NIL wins, showing they could modernize on the trail and keep some key targets home," Wilt- fong said. "They've done a nice job devel- oping players to the NFL. He checks the boxes. It's going to take the talent in Mich- igan's backyard time to get to know Coach Whittingham, and it will be interesting to see what he can do with the resources Michigan has after consistently having a competitive program with the Utes." Michigan kept the majority of its No. 11-ranked recruiting class together despite the coaching change. The Wolverines lost pledges from two four-star prospects — tight end Matt Ludwig and wide receiver Brady Marchese. Whittingham said he thought the re- cruiting cycle ended up in "a pretty good place when all is said and done." More than half of that group has now moved to Ann Arbor, including five-star running back Savion Hiter. "He's doing a great job during the work- outs," Whittingham said of the 2025 Vir- ginia Gatorade Player of the Year. "He's doing very well, and I am really excited to see what he can do in spring ball." Whittingham also praised the po- tential of five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows, the No. 11 recruit nationally and the top-ranked prospect in Wash- ington, D.C., out of Gonzaga Prep. Mich- igan battled Ohio State, Penn State and many others to land him. "Big, good-looking young man," Whit- tingham "Six-foot-six, one of the top de- fensive ends in the country, if not the top, a tremendous athlete. His length is a big positive for him. I had some good conver- sations with Carter, and we're excited to get him here in June." The Wolverines have now brought in five five-star recruits over the past two recruiting cycles. Whittingham recruited Rivals 2026 five-star athlete Salesi Moa as a short-term signee transfer from Utah to team up with Meadows and Hiter. The two top-echelon 2025 signees were quar- terback Bryce Underwood and offensive tackle Andrew Babalola. Moa is the No. 30 recruit in the country and the top-ranked athlete nationally. He could play either side of the ball at the college level. Whittingham recruited him to play both receiver and defensive back at Utah. The dynamic playmaker out of Ogden (Utah) Fremont High previously expressed a desire to play receiver in college. If he starts out on that side of the ball, he would line up alongside standout Utah transfer JJ Buchanan. Whittingham raved about the rising sophomore's big-play skill set. "He was almost a tight end-sized young man, but we kept him at wide receiver," Whittingham said. "He was about 215, 220 pounds but tremendously athletic — a 40- inch vertical jump — and that really comes in handy when you look at the contested balls up the field. That's where he really excels, on the contested ball." Whittingham believes that Utah trans- fer edge rusher John Henry Daley, the No. 9 transfer portal prospect nationally, likely New U-M Staff Secures Nation's No. 11 Recruiting Class And Strong Transfer Group Defensive lineman Titan Davis (left) and offensive lineman Malakai Lee (right) were selected to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl Jan. 10 in San Antonio, where they were sup- ported by fellow U-M signee and native Texan Alister Vallejo (center). PHOTO COURTESY ALISTER VALLEJO