The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543210
36 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY JOHN BORTON Alister Vallejo heard the compari- son. He waves it off as quickly as he sheds offensive linemen on the way to crushing an unsuspecting quar- terback. At 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, he's built a bit like former Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. But the de- fensive lineman out of Liberty Hill, Texas, has both his feet squarely on the ground when it comes to making a name for himself. He's certainly honored by any link to the formerly underrated, even- tual two-time All-American. Who wouldn't be? Graham wound up recognized as one of the best Wol- verine defensive linemen of all time — maybe the best. But as Vallejo told a Sports Illustrated regional site, he's coming to Ann Arbor to line up and let the hitting begin, not to hear hype. "Definitely, it's a huge compli- ment, for sure," Vallejo noted. "I try not to read too much or think about it be- cause that stuff can get in your head. I just want to play ball." He played some high-level ball as a three-year letter winner at Liberty Hill, performing on both the offensive and defensive lines. He projects at the lat- ter spot at Michigan, recruited by de- fensive line coach Lou Esposito, one of the staff members retained by new head coach Kyle Whittingham. Esposito will work to turn Vallejo's prep promise into major contributions at The Big House and beyond in the years to come. Vallejo racked up 62 tackles, includ- ing 5 sacks, as a senior at Liberty Hill. He returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown and demonstrated enough agility, even at over 300 pounds, to block a field goal. His junior numbers reveal 8 sacks and 12 tackles for loss among 53 stops. He also forced 3 fum- bles, one of which he recovered, and blocked 4 kicks. His sophomore stats featured 11 sacks, 12 TFLs, 65 stops overall, a forced fumble, a recovery and a blocked kick. The consensus four-star prospect didn't hesitate when asked why he's relocating some 1,316 miles from Liberty Hill to Ann Arbor. "Ann Arbor is home," he said. "On and off the field, everything just fits. "Through the recruiting process you see a lot, but what stood out most about Michigan is how real everyone is. For all the history and tradition, it's still just good people in T-shirts, jeans and sneakers — no egos, no hype. "My parents say it all the time: we all put our pants on the same way. That's what makes this place special." Given Michigan's outflow of NFL tal- ent from the defensive line in recent years, some might think Vallejo and others have huge shoes to fill. He just wants to play ball, and that's as healthy an outlook as he could bring. ❑ Alister Vallejo Is Bringing Texas Toughness To The D-Line Vallejo, a consensus four-star recruit, was named to the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman's 2025 All-Central Texas football team as a senior. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND ALISTER VALLEJO DEFENSIVE LINE 6-3 • 310 LIBERTY HILL HIGH LIBERTY HILL, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪✪ 194 21 28 ✪✪✪✪ — 33 48 ✪✪✪✪ 118 16 16 ✪✪✪✪ 272 21 35 STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks FF FR 2025 62 — 5 — 1 2024 53 12 8 3 1 2023 65 12 11 1 1 HONORS • Rated a PrepStar Top 300 All-American in 2025. • Selected to the Austin American-Statesman's 2025 All-Central Texas football team. • Named Class 5A Division 2 second-team all- state in 2024. • Voted the District 11-5A Division 2 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2024. • Named the 2024 District 11-5A Division 2 De- fensive Line MVP. • Received first-team all-county honors in 2024. • Two-time all-conference honoree (second team, 2023; first team, 2024). RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan June 10, 2025. • Picked U-M over notable offers from SMU, Kan- sas, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Oklahoma State. • Recruited by U-M defensive line coach Lou Esposito. DID YOU KNOW? • Contributed on both sides of the ball as an of- fensive and defensive lineman. • Returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown as a senior. • Blocked 6 kicks in three varsity seasons, including 4 as a junior. • Liberty Hill ran for 5,823 yards and 71 touchdowns in 2023; 5,525 yards and 75 rushing touchdowns in 2024; 5,581 yards and 78 touchdowns in 2025. • Son of Orlando and Leshelle Vallejo. • Born Oct. 30, 2007. THEY SAID IT Rivals Director Of Scouting And Rankings Charles Power: "Alister Vallejo is a disruptive defensive lineman and one who grows on you the more you watch the film. For starters, he has outstand- ing body lean and understanding of leverage. He keeps his pads down, which makes him tough to block and is a fluid, flexible athlete. That lends itself to being a high-level pass rusher and disrup- tor on the interior. You can see really encouraging hand usage, and when you're projecting him for the next level, there are a lot of foundational pieces in terms of the bend, fluidity, quick hands and coordination. Once he ties all that together, you can see his game go to another level." 2026 PROJECTION Vallejo was a senior year rankings riser. He's a consensus four-star prospect now and someone who could see the field early after spending some time developing in the U-M strength and condi- tioning program. Playing snaps at defensive tackle as a freshman isn't easy and, since he's not an early enrollee, he looks like a redshirt candidate.