The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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26 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL Adam McCann told Savion Hiter he'd be the No. 1 running back in the country from the beginning. The elusive, explo- sive and heavily recruited future Michi- gan commit watched his recruitment ex- plode aer his freshman year. He's a 6-foot, 210-pound running back with breakaway speed. Hiter's highlight reel is full of him running past, around and through defenders. The five-star prospect has quick feet and a vicious stiff arm that helped him draw comparisons to NFL star Bijan Robinson. At one point, he laughed at the idea that he would be the top-ranked rusher in the country. However, Hiter ended his career at Mineral (Va.) Louisa Country High as Rivals' wire-to-wire No. 1 run- ning back a few years later. "Any blessing I could get to go to col- lege for free and play at a good university would be great," Hiter told McCann, his longtime recruiting advisor, early in his recruiting process. Maryland was the first school to offer, extending a scholarship during his fresh- man season. Virginia Tech and Syracuse followed soon aer before a deluge of col- lege interest helped him rack up 24 Power Four offers. He sat squarely in the recruit- ing spotlight for the next several years but didn't feel a need to seek out attention. "The way he handled his recruiting process was different from a lot of other guys," McCann said. "It was hard at times for him because he's not really a big talker until recently." McCann said some people took Hiter's quiet approach the wrong way. The run- ning back felt the weight of the recruiting process, especially with the media. He earned a five-star ranking and received the attention from coaches and reporters that came along with that. Even when he knew he was likely head- ed to Michigan, he didn't want to mislead anyone, so he kept the process quiet. Tony Alford offered him the fall of his sophomore year. Michigan's running backs coach still worked at Ohio State at the time and, when he le for Ann Arbor, the Wolverine assistant quickly made the elite prospect a priority in a way that didn't feel forced. "That relationship has been special," McCann said. "He really loves on the families that he's recruiting. It's not a pitch." Alford grows so close to the families he's recruiting that McCann believes it's almost an unfair advantage. He watched Michigan's bond with Hiter grow as they joked, laughed and sometimes went months without even talking about foot- ball. Alford never recruited negatively against other schools and built meaning- ful connections with the running back and his family. "Tony is an open book if you have that trust factor with him, and he has a trust factor in you," McCann said. "Tony's been a good blessing for that kid and that family." Hiter's relationship with Michigan kept the program in the mix when he nar- rowed his top schools list down to U-M, Georgia, Tennessee and Ohio State. The five-star rusher committed to the Wol- verines last August. He remained com- pletely locked in with the program aer that decision, completely shutting down his recruitment despite the coaching change. Michigan's new staff welcomed him to campus last month as an early enrollee. He enjoyed the first month of classes, and things are clicking for him in the meeting rooms as well. "Football-wise, it's going good," Mc- Cann said. "The playbook is going good for him. Tony's saying he's picking up the playbook fast. He's been picking up skill sets and enhancing his skill sets since he got there." Alford talks to McCann multiple times per week. He still brings a transparent and honest approach to his conversations with Hiter and his advisor. Alford made it clear that Hiter is not promised any role in Ann Arbor, but he will have the chance to earn one. "Savion's not guaranteed to be num- ber one, two or three right now," McCann said. "He said you're going to come in and learn everything and get everything that you want. It's right there for you to take." Hiter joined a talented running back U-M Lands Savion Hiter, The Nation's Top Running Back Hiter, shown with his parents Rod Hiter and Aishia Scott-Hiter, was a two-time all-state selection and was named the Virginia Gatorade State Player of the Year as a senior in 2025. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND