The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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42 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2026 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING Wolverines but wants to take a closer look at the program. Still, he likes what he's seeing and hearing from Michigan at this point. "There's definitely more than what I've seen, and I want to get to know more about it. I definitely can see myself there," Hartsfield said. During his next trip to campus, Harts- field wants to keep an eye on how Alford carries himself on game day. Hartsfield also plans on connecting with some cur- rent Wolverines. One of those players, Savion Hiter, caught his attention earlier this year. "The freshman running back they've got is a nice player," Hartsfield said. "That showed they know how to develop play- ers. They had a whole bunch of guys that I was seeing out there with great size. All the backs that they had were good. … That's another big thing for me. I want to be developed." Alford is known for his relationship- building ability. He doesn't just bond with the recruit. The Wolverine assistant builds a personal relationship with the whole family. He's building a close con- nection with Hartsfield's father during this process. "My dad talks to Coach Alford more than me, and I talk to him every day," said Hartsfield. "That says a lot. My whole family is a big relationship-based family. Him building the relationship he has with my dad definitely means a lot to him." Hartsfield elaborated on the impact Al- ford's relationship building already had on his decision-making process. "I come from Youngstown, Ohio, and a school that nobody really likes. … My dad actually likes Michigan due to the re- lationship with the coach. For my dad to like them makes me like them. They're definitely up there." Hartsfield said Michigan sits in his top five heading into the fall. He will iron out the details of his game-day trip at some point and plans on making it to campus before the end of the year. TIGHT END BRAXTON REIN BUILDS A MICHIGAN BOND Braxton Rein will begin his junior sea- son as one of the most heavily recruited tight end prospects in the country. The Rivals300 '28 prospect out of Chatta- nooga (Tenn.) The Baylor School holds an elite offer list that includes Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and many others. A four-star recruit, Rein (6-6, 235) hears from the Wolverines regularly. Tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham offered Rein in May during the spring evaluation window, and his recruitment looks ex- tremely crowded at this point. To prepare for this fall, Rein sharpened his route run- ning and blocking. And as his decision-making process continues, the sixth-ranked tight end na- tionally said he can't separate any schools from his list of 25 Power Four offers. "They're all doing a great job," Rein said. "I'm thankful for all of them." The junior talks to Whittingham "a good bit," and he's also building a bond with offensive coordinator Jason Beck. He said they're both "really cool." Michigan's history with the tight end position ap- peals to him. "I like how they're just traditional," Rein said. "There's good tradition at Michigan. I like their offense schemati- cally. They put tight ends in the league, like Jake Butt, Colston Loveland." Rein recently attended the Tight End University camp, an event where some of the NFL's top tight ends gather each year. The nation's No. 139 recruit connected with Loveland during the camp and asked him about the Wolverines. "He said he loved it," Rein said. "He said it was the best decision he ever made." There's significant buzz around Rein and SEC schools like Ole Miss and Flor- ida. He said he remains open to everyone right now, including Michigan. Rein said the key factors in his decision will be "the coaching staff, the scheme, how I fit in, my relationship with the coaches ... the facilities and the town. "You've got to live there for three to four years," he added, "and you've defi- nitely got to like where you're staying." He doesn't have any plans to visit Michigan yet because he has to be back at The Baylor School every Sunday by 2 p.m., which makes travel for game days a little difficult. The blue-chip tight end is interested in making it to Ann Arbor early next year, though. "We've talked about some things in the spring potentially," Rein said. KICKER COMMIT RYAN JUNG RULED INELIGIBLE FOR SENIOR YEAR Ryan Jung, the No. 1 kicker in the 2028 class, committed to Michigan in June while he prepared to make a move from IMG Academy to live closer to his fam- ily. He enrolled at Milton (Ga.) High, one of the elite programs in the Peach State, and hoped to break the school's field goal record this fall. Instead, the top-ranked kicker in ❱ 2027 MICHIGAN COMMITMENTS Name Rating* Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown / High School Jayce Brewer ★★★★ EDGE 6-5 225 Indianapolis / Franklin Central Quentin Burrell ★★★★ WR 6-2 195 Chicago / Mount Carmel Ifeanyi Emedobi ★★★★ EDGE 6-2 214 Fort Wayne, Ind. / Northrop Louis Esposito ★★★ IOL 6-6 290 Saline, Mich. / Saline Frederrick Ford ★★★ LB 6-3 195 Greenwood, Miss. / Greenwood Lundon Hampton ★★★ ATH 6-2 203 Grand Rapids, Mich. / Kenowa Hills Christian Hanshaw ★★★ TE 6-4 220 American Fork, Utah / American Fork Tavares Harrington ★★★★ S 6-3 180 Chicago / Mount Carmel Blake Jenkins ★★★ CB 6-0 190 Katy, Texas / Tompkins Darius Johnson ★★★★ CB 6-1 155 Riverside, Calif. / Notre Dame Recarder Kitchen ★★★★ EDGE 6-5 240 Muskegon, Mich. / Muskegon Jakari Lipsey ★★★★ OT 6-5 290 Kalamazoo, Mich. / Loy Norrix Kamden Lopati ★★★★ QB 6-2 225 West Valley City, Utah / West Colt Lumpris ★★★★ TE 6-6 240 Tolland, Conn. / Lawrenceville (N.J.) Lincoln Mageo ★★★★ IOL 6-3 285 Oceanside, Calif. / Oceanside Xavier Muhammad ★★★★ DL 6-3 265 Houston / South Houston Tyson Robinson ★★★★ RB 5-9 195 Jackson, Miss. / Brandon Sidney Rouleau ★★★ IOL 6-5 240 Gatineau, Quebec / The Brook Hill School (Texas) Monsanna Torbert ★★★★ CB 5-10 173 Cincinnati / Princeton Brayden Watson ★★★ LB 6-2 190 Buford, Ga. / Buford Charles Woodson Jr. ★★★ S 5-11 170 Orlando, Fla. / Lake Nona ❱ 2028 MICHIGAN COMMITMENTS Ryan Jung — K 6-2 195 Milton, Ga. / Milton * Rivals player ratings as of Aug. 18