The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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56 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2025 Donte Wright committed to Georgia last summer, and he remains pledged to the Bulldogs. Heading into the spring, however, he plans on checking out other programs and holds Michigan high regard. The 6-0, 170-pound cornerback out of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High is the No. 1-ranked recruit in California and the No. 21 prospect nationally. Oregon, USC, Oklahoma, UCLA and many others are pushing to flip him from UGA. "It's getting a little busier as it gets more serious and more close to my time but, overall, it's been good," Wright said. "I'm just enjoying the process and am thankful for all the coaches being here during this process. I'm just trying to find where home is." Wright talks to Georgia defensive backs coach Donte Williams every day. Despite the distance between him and Athens, his connection to the SEC program remains strong. Miami, Oregon and Oklahoma are the main other schools in contention, the nation's No. 3 cornerback shared. Michigan's former staff offered last spring. The new coaches stopped by Long Beach Poly in January to see him and JuJu Johnson, the nation's No. 13 corner- back, who plans on visiting U-M in April. Wright's relationship with the Wolverines is still evolving. "They've reached out a tad bit," Wright said. "I feel like they're still trying to get their staff together. I should hear from them more a little later. They've reached out, said their hellos, but that's about it." He remains very interested in the pro- gram. The blue-chip cornerback plans on making his first trip to Ann Arbor later this year. "I'm trying to plan an OV with them, for sure," Wright said. Wright took note of the program's his- tory with defensive back development, and he wants to make it to campus to learn more about the new staff's plan for him. "I feel like they're building something over there, and that's somewhere I feel like I could play very early at," Wright said. "They like trying to play freshmen early." He holds an elite offer list and will spend the next few months sifting through those schools. How much love the program shows him, academic op- portunities and a chance to play against the best will all hold weight in his final decision. Wright still needs to develop a deeper connection to U-M, but it does check a couple of boxes. "From what I've heard from a football standpoint, they put DBs in the league," Wright said. "They always have some good coaches and top guys there. They play the top guys, for sure. They're a very competitive program." The elite cornerback prospect told The Wolverine that he hopes to make a final decision in July. — Ethan McDowell Michigan offered three-star 2027 safety Darrell Mattison shortly after the new coaching staff hit the road in January. The Wolverines immediately piqued his in- terest and, after seeing how hard they're pushing for him, the rising defensive back is strongly considering the program. Mattison will travel to Ann Arbor for the program's first spring practice March 17. That's his only set-in-stone travel date so far. Michigan visited him twice in Janu- ary, with safeties coach Tyler Stockton leading the charge in his recruitment. "He came and talked to my mom and everybody, and he kept it straight up with me," Mattison said. "He was like 'You've got to do this and that, and we're treating you like a priority.' They talk to me about every other day and just see what's up, what's going on, just building that rela- tionship, and that's very important." Stockton and the rest of the coaching staff give off a warm, genuine vibe that Mattison appreciates. He doesn't feel like the Wolverine assistant is putting on any sort of performance in his recruitment, and they're building a solid relationship. Head coach Kyle Whittingham, defen- sive coordinator Jay Hill, defensive ends coach Lewis Powell and former defensive line coach Lou Esposito all stopped by Chicago Morgan Park High to see him in January. "Their head coach, the defensive coor- dinator and the safeties coach, they run things," Mattison said. "It was like, 'We really want this kid,' and that's what really sparked my interest." Mattison likes what he's hearing from the Wolverines so far, but he needs to see it all in person. That goes for Indiana, Penn State, West Virginia or any of the other programs he's considering. "All the schools can tell me the same thing, so it's probably going to be on my part to go out and see them coach and play and see how they run things at their program," Mattison said. The nation's No. 50 safety prospect will spend his first Michigan visit observing how much of their recruiting pitch holds up in person. These spring visits are criti- cal. Mattison knows all the programs will roll out the red carpet during OVs, so he's trying to get the real feel for each school this spring. Michigan remains high in his recruitment going into the visit. "They're definitely in my top group," Mattison said. He really likes Michigan's approach to his recruitment so far but said he would hold U-M in high regard no matter what. "I told Coach Whitt this when he was here," Mattison said. "No disrespect to him and the staff he's got, but I said Mich- igan is always going to be good, because it's Michigan." Mattison wants to commit before his senior season. He logged 5 interceptions and 47 total tackles as a junior. — Ethan McDowell Elite Georgia CB Commit Donte Wright Wants To Visit Michigan Rising Safety Darrell Mattison Feels Like A Top Priority ❱ PREP PROFILES ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Long Beach Poly Long Beach, Calif. Class: 2027 Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 170 Rivals Rankings: No. 21 overall, No. 3 cor- nerback, No. 1 player in California ❱ Donte Wright ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Morgan Park High Chicago Class: 2027 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 160 Rivals Rankings: No. 50 safety, No. 25 in Illinois ❱ Darrell Mattison