The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 153 rived on campus for his official visit June 10. He's the No. 242 recruit and No. 21 linebacker in the country according to the Rivals Industry Ranking out of Greenwood (Miss.) High. The Wolverines will have to compete with Ole Miss and LSU for his pledge, but they're building momentum here quickly. Top 100 Texas Tech commit Jhadyn Nelson is the No. 4 linebacker and No. 41 recruit nationally, and he planned to be on campus for Victors Weekend. He should be considered a long shot, but U-M sees the Houston Langham Creek rising senior as a potential game-changing prospect, and the staff will try to flip him this sum- mer. Safety Commits: 2 Need: 3 Michigan picked up two safety commits early this spring that flipped to Ole Miss and Minnesota. Despite that, the second- ary class still sits in a great spot. Surging past Notre Dame, Alabama and others for Rivals300 defensive back Tavares Harrington, the Rivals Industry Ranking's No. 134 prospect and No. 8 safety in the country, was one of the most impressive wins of the recruiting cycle. The Wolverines needed to make up sig- nificant ground in his recruitment this spring and did so with two visits that left an extremely strong impression. Safeties coach Tyler Stockton showed the Chicago native a ton of love, and their relationship played a significant role in the Mount Car- mel High standout's commitment. The Wolverines also prioritized and landed three-star legacy safety Charles Woodson Jr. Kentucky made a push, but his recruitment was never in doubt for Michigan. He will follow in his family's footsteps in Ann Arbor. Now, Michigan has its eyes set on Ri- vals300 safety Marcus Jones. The No. 197 recruit and No. 17 safety in the country from Pennsylvania had planned to be on campus for Victors Weekend, June 19-21, and the Wolverines are top contenders. North Carolina, Ole Miss and Tennessee will also host him in June. He keeps his recruitment quiet, but there will be a bet- ter idea of where U-M stands after the OV. Michigan planned to host four-star de- fensive back Larry Moon June 19-21. He's a recent addition to the recruiting board. Rivals considers him a cornerback, but the Wolverines are recruiting him to play safety. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech have also hosted him for official visits. Three-star safety Peyton Higginson is someone to keep an eye on later in the cycle. He will visit the program for a game day in the fall. Michigan and BYU are the top contenders for him. He's serving a two-year mission after high school. Cornerback Commits: 2 Need: 3 Cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford has landed two of his top four-star cornerback targets — Darius Johnson and Blake Jen- kins. Michigan established itself as the fa- vorite for Johnson, the No. 203 recruit and No. 26 cornerback in the country, from Riverside (Calif.) Notre Dame, very early on this year. Gilford was the first coach to offer him a Division I scholarship, and that helped. Jenkins, the nation's No. 260 pros- pect and No. 28 cornerback, picked up his Michigan offer in February, and the Wolverines steadily built momentum with the blue-chip prospect out of Katy (Texas) High. His spring visit went well, leading to a Victors Weekend visit. SMU and Vanderbilt held the edge for him at different points over the past couple of months, but when his timeline sped up for an early June commitment, Michigan put on the full-court press and emerged as his choice. Five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson of- ficially visited Michigan June 12-14, and that might be the most important offi- cial visit of the 2027 recruiting cycle. The Wolverines are within striking distance of Texas A&M going into this trip. Dob- son is the No. 6 recruit in the country and the No. 2 cornerback nationally. His par- ents have never been to campus, but if the Wolverines hit a home run on this visit, they could grab the momentum for the elite recruit out of Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High. South Carolina and Auburn are also in the mix. Monsanna Torbert planned to visit Michigan for Victors Weekend. He moved his visit back a week to attend U-M's big- gest recruiting event of the year. The No. 70 recruit and No. 10 cornerback nation- ally from Cincinnati Princeton High has traveled to Ohio State. If the Wolverines survive that trip, they will have a shot to win this recruitment. Miami (Ohio) cornerback commit DJ Mitchell previously planned on visiting June 12, but he said his OV has been post- poned to the fall. ❑ Michigan beat out Notre Dame and Alabama for Chicago safety Tavares Harrington, who is ranked as the nation's No. 8 player at his position and the No. 134 recruit overall per the Rivals Industry Ranking. PHOTO COURTESY TAVARES HARRINGTON