The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544920
10 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2026 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan junior offensive lineman Blake Frazier came to U-M as a legacy. His dad, Steve Frazier, was Tom Brady's center back in the late 1990s. Frazier talks about his weight gains, the offensive line progress, and more in this Q&A. The Wolverine: You and your teammates look bigger and stronger this spring. What has the new strength staff, led by Doug Eli- saia, meant to you guys? Blake Frazier: "It's been a blast. They know what they're doing. Obviously, they pro- duced a ton of guys over at Utah, brought in a couple guys from different places, but it's been super helpful in adapting to what this team needs and making sure everybody's in the spot that they need to be. "I've gained a lot of weight. I'm not going to say a number … but I'm in a good spot. The staff's happy with it, and I feel the best I ever have. I might gain five more pounds at best, but I'm pretty comfortable right now." The Wolverine: You were one of the first ones to post publicly that you were coming back under the new staff. Why was that im- portant to you to set the tone? Frazier: "Everybody knows what this school means to me. I knew that coming back as a guy that has started eight games, I wanted to be somebody people knew was going to be on this team, looking forward to adapting to the new staff. "I just wanted to be somebody that if any- body had questions or concerns … it was a big transition. I wanted to make sure I was a guy people knew they could lean on." The Wolverine: How do you feel about your progress entering Year 3 in the program? Frazier: "I'm a lot more comfortable, I think. Last season I was injured during spring, so I was focused more on rehab than anything. But just from a general sense, I'm in more of a leadership position now on this team. I've re- ally enjoyed finding ways to incorporate that role into how I play and everything. "I've just been really focused on making sure I'm doing everything I can to make this team as good as it can be." The Wolverine: How are practices different under this regime compared to the last? Frazier: "I think it's more execution-based. We're not out there as long as we were last spring, or for practices in the past. There's a lot more focus on getting more work done in less time. It's less taxing on the body, but still making sure we're getting as much work done and work at the things we need during that time." The Wolverine: What are your impressions of your new position coach, Jim Harding? Frazier: "Coach Harding is unbeliev- able. He's somebody that is very adap- tive. He works with me, [Andrew] Sprague, Jake [Guarnera]. He gives us all different tools to work with, because we all play a little bit differently. He's been unbeliev- able at coming in and while introducing the new scheme to us, we kept a lot of our on- field calls the same to ease the transition. … I'm super excited to keep working with him. His track record speaks for itself." — Chris Balas ❱ Sitting Down With Michigan Offensive Tackle Blake Frazier Frazier was one of the first U-M players to post publicly that he was returning under the new coaching staff. PHOTO BY TY KORNBLUE Michigan men's basketball ended the 2026 cycle ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten with its star-studded recruiting class that is headlined by Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon High consensus five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr. — the highest-ranked player the Wolverines have landed in the Rivals era (since 2003). McCoy is one of six five-star prospects (per Rivals) that Michigan has signed out of high school during that time frame, joining Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate in 2021, Ignas Brazdeikis in 2018, Zak Irvin in 2013 and Glenn Robinson III in 2012. Only McCoy (No. 3) and Houstan (No. 9) were tabbed in the top 10 of their respective classes. Player Class Rivals Ranking Industry Ranking Brandon McCoy Jr. 2026 3 11 Caleb Houstan 2021 9 10 Glenn Robinson III 2012 11 11 Zak Irvin 2013 24 22 Moussa Diabate 2021 26 17 Ignas Brazdeikis 2018 — 36 Michigan's freshman class also includes Boston The Newman School four-star forward Quinn Costello, Montverde (Fla.) Academy four-star forward Lincoln Cosby, Gainesville (Fla.) The Rock School four-star guard Joseph Hartman, Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic three-star guard Mal- achi Brown and center Marcus Moller out of Espergærde, Denmark. The six-member haul is the Wolverines' biggest since 2021, when Houstan, Diabate, Kobe Bufkin, Frankie Collins, Isaiah Barnes and Will Tschetter joined the fold. It's worth noting that ahead of last season, roster limits in college basketball increased from 13 to 15. The group also stands as the largest in volume in the Big Ten, with Purdue and Illinois just behind with five freshman additions. Nationally, the Wolverines trail only Duke, Arkansas, USC, Kansas and Alabama in class rank, with the Trojans at No. 3 being the only Big Ten team ahead of U-M. Here's a look at the 2026 Big Ten basketball recruiting rankings. Rank Team Five Four Three Total Stars Stars Stars Recruits 1. USC 1 2 0 3 2. Michigan 1 3 1 6 3. Michigan State 0 4 0 4 4. Maryland 1 2 1 4 5. Purdue 0 3 2 5 6. Illinois 0 2 3 5 7. Indiana 0 3 0 3 8. Oregon 0 1 2 3 9. Nebraska 0 2 0 2 10. Ohio State 1 0 2 3 11. Northwestern 0 1 1 2 12. Iowa 0 1 1 2 13. UCLA 0 1 1 2 14. Minnesota 0 0 3 3 15. Rutgers 0 0 1 1 16. Penn State 0 0 1 4 17. Wisconsin 0 0 1 3 18. Washington 0 0 1 2 — Clayton Sayfie Michigan Finishes No. 6 In Basketball Recruiting Rankings