The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 39 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL Brady Smigiel faced plenty of adversity during his senior season. Coming off a state title as a junior, the Michigan quar- terback commit hoped to return to those heights while playing without multiple starting receivers for the first five games in the structure of a new offense. He threw for 1,624 yards over six games before suffering an ACL injury that ended his last run with Newbury Park (Calif.) High. The Michigan early enrollee fin- ished his prep career with 162 touchdown passes and a whopping 12,846 yards. Smigiel spent the summer before his senior year training with the pros, work- ing out alongside legends like Kevin Du- rant and Aaron Rodgers to improve on his explosiveness, his acumen as a quarter- back and his preparation for the college level. Rodgers — a 21-year NFL veteran and four-time league MVP — taught him the reality of what it takes to play the po- sition at a high level. "It takes so much more than just being able to throw the ball and go through your reads," Smigiel said early in his senior season. "Being a leader is so important." "Obviously, this is the biggest struggle that I've had and that Newbury Park has had in the last three or four years. I un- derstand that just taking one game at a time, one play at a time, is most impor- tant right now. I've just learned so much about the quarterback position and what it takes to be a leader." Rodgers helped Smigiel understand the finer details behind his role under center. The other pros he worked with fueled his competitive nature. Smigiel wanted to improve his speed as a rusher. He studied tape, saw defenders running him down and wanted to change that. He added some weight to his 6-foot-5 frame and went through speed and con- ditioning workouts with elite athletes from different sports. "Training with the pros all summer, just being able to see that type of speed, lights a fire under your butt just to be able to compete with those guys every single day," Smigiel said. Those athletes included NBA All-Star and champion Durant. They raced up sand dunes together as a part of their training regimen, and those days showed him a lot about how the best of the best prepare in the offseason. "Every single one of them, they all have championships and Pro Bowls and All- Star Games and MVPs, and they don't stop working," Smigiel said. "It's like they're on their rookie deal, and they're trying to get their next contract." Smigiel's senior season did not go as planned but, in part thanks to the work he put into the offseason, he has the tools to move forward. The experience le an impression on the four-star quarterback. "I was shocked how hard those guys worked — and so impressed," Smigiel said. "Just being able to work under them, and try to beat them up the hill and compete with these guys, it was really awesome." ❑ High-Level Offseason Training Benefited QB Brady Smigiel Smigiel finished his prep career at Newbury Park (Calif.) High with 162 touchdown passes and a whopping 12,846 yards passing, despite only playing six games as a senior before suf- fering an ACL injury. PHOTO BY ETHAN MCDOWELL STATISTICS Year Comp. A . Yds. TD INT Rush Yds. TD 2025 134 208 1,624 15 8 171 5 2024 219 336 3,521 49 3 435 11 2023 282 479 4,222 52 14 N/A 2 2022 228 346 3,479 46 11 N/A N/A BRADY SMIGIEL QUARTERBACK 6-5 • 215 NEWBURY PARK HIGH THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪ 437 28 41 ✪✪✪ — 45 49 ✪✪✪ — 37 44 ✪✪✪✪ 213 13 25 HONORS • Rated a PrepStar Top 300 All-American. • Two-time California Player of the Year (2023- 24). • Los Angeles Times Player of the Year (2024). • Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Football Award winner (2024); first junior to be recognized since Najee Harris (2015). • MaxPreps Sophomore All-American (2023). • Ventura County Star All-County Offensive Player of the Year (2023). • Cal-Hi Sports State Freshman of the Year (2022). RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan on April 26, 2025. • Picked U-M over notable offers from Florida State, Oregon, Notre Dame and Florida. DID YOU KNOW? • Four-year starter for the Panthers at quarter- back; team compiled a 37-10 record in games he started. • Credited with 13,695 yards of all-purpose of- fense (12,846 passing) and 185 total touchdowns (162 passing) during his career. • Led the Panthers to a 14-1 record and the CIF Division II state championship as a junior in 2024; the program's first since 1993. • Set a Ventura County single-season record with 52 passing touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023. • Son of Joe and Dionne Smigiel. Father was his high school coach. • Has a twin brother, Beau. • Born Oct. 10, 2006 THEY SAID IT: Rivals Director Of Scouting And Rankings Charles Power: "Brady Smigiel is a polished, de- veloped, productive quarterback prospect who has a lot of experience at the high school level so far. He's advanced relative to the amount of snaps he's seen. Playing for his dad at Newbury Park, he has a really good grasp of what they run on of- fense. He has put up good, raw passing numbers throughout his career. I thought we saw some improvement from him as a junior — particularly with the mobility." 2026 PROJECTION Smigiel joined Michigan's retooled quarterback room in January. That gives him a head start on a playbook, and he will rehab his injury with the Wolverines' training staff. He's a redshirt candi- date who will factor into the quarterback com- petition whenever Bryce Underwood leaves Ann Arbor.