The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 45 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE Hayden Koo's recruitment blew up this summer with offers from Ohio State, USC, Oregon and Michigan among oth- ers. After standing out at various offsea- son camps and showcases, he's now the No. 201 recruit in the 2028 class and a priority for the Wolverines. The blue-chip wide receiver from Tus- tin (Calif.) High recently dropped a top 12. He built strong relationships with those schools, and they also checked key boxes with their history of wide receiver devel- opment. Michigan, USC, Stanford, Or- egon, Cal and UCLA are just a few of the programs showing him a lot of love from that group. During his explosive offseason, Koo said he grew more confident when he played well at OT7 and The Opening. He also embraced film study and raised his football IQ. The 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver dove into his strengths on the gridiron. "I really don't back down from any- thing, and I personally like press more than off-man or anything like that," Koo said. "I block really well, really hard. I just like being more of a physical receiver." His skill set caught Micah Simon's at- tention, as the Wolverine receivers coach offered him July 8, and continued to build a relationship from there. "I love them," Koo said. "Super cool staff. I'm actually going up to a game." Koo will travel to Ann Arbor for the Oct. 17 clash with Penn State. He wants to take a closer look at the offense during that trip and continue to bond with the coaches. Koo said he and Simon already have a solid relationship. "I just love his energy and just the way he talks about his receivers room," Koo said. "He loves it, talking about [Andrew] Marsh and a couple other people. He talks so highly of them and really wants to get them ready for the next level." The No. 40 receiver prospect caught 53 passes for 796 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore. Koo said Simon likes his ability to track the ball and play with physicality. "He said he doesn't really see players like that who have a knack for the football, can see the football out of the air and re- ally go get it," Koo said. Michigan's winning tradition across all sports — not just football — and the university itself intrigue him enough to make the trip east from California later this year. "If you ask the question of who's the most winning college program, I think it would be Michigan," Koo said. "Not even in the football aspect, but in the aspect of sports in general. I think they're the most winning college program, and I know they have great academics over there." — Ethan McDowell Ryan Peterson watched every play of Michigan's 2023 national championship run. He grew up rooting for the Wol- verines and wanted to model his game after Jabrill Peppers. Years later, the Ri- vals300 linebacker has a chance to wear the winged helmet. Michigan offered Peterson on July 9, and that scholarship immediately caught his attention. A standout at Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High, he would have loved to play for Jim Harbaugh and now looks forward to seeing what Kyle Whitting- ham can accomplish in Ann Arbor. "We're going to see how the season goes, but from what I'm seeing and what I've talked to them about, they're building something big," Peterson said. "They're trying to get back to the year they won. That's something I want to be part of. I want to win a natty. I want to be a team player. I want to be a great player. I want to go to the NFL, and you know they de- velop guys." The Wolverines only offered recently, but he said his initial conversations with the staff were positive, and he's looking forward to connecting with them more. His childhood fandom helped Michigan climb into contention immediately. "Michigan was my favorite school growing up," Peterson said. "Jabrill Pet- ters, I watched him. That was one of my guys that I wanted to be like. I wanted to go both sides like him, but obviously, Jabrill Peppers is one of one." Linebackers coach Alex Whittingham is his primary recruiter. Peterson said the Wolverine assistant is an authentic per- son, and that's what he's looking for. "I'm excited to see what more of the Michigan staff is like because they seem like genuine people. … I've heard a lot about Michigan from other recruits, and what I'm hearing from them, that's some- thing I want to be a part of," Peterson said. Peterson is teammates with five-star '27 cornerback Joshua Dobson at Hough High, an elite prospect who strongly con- sidered Michigan before his commitment to South Carolina. Peterson said Dobson told him U-M is a great school. Now, he wants to see the program for himself. Peterson will visit Michigan for the Sept. 12 showdown with Oklahoma and said he might even make two trips to campus this fall. During his time in Ann Arbor, he wants to take a closer look at ev- erything around the team and university. "A lot of schools have a great football team, but their city's trash, not good peo- ple around," Peterson said. "When I get to Ann Arbor, Michigan, I just want to see what the city's like, see what the coaching staff is like, see the people." Peterson is an instinctive football player who touted his leadership skills and abil- ity to diagnose a play before it happens. He's the No. 10 linebacker in the country. In addition to Michigan, he said Geor- gia, Florida, Auburn, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oregon are some of the schools standing out to him early on. — Ethan McDowell California WR Hayden Koo Loves Michigan U-M Was A Childhood Favorite For Rivals300 LB Ryan Peterson ❱ PREP PROFILES ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Tustin, Calif. Tustin High Class: 2028 Position: Wide receiver Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 170 Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 302 overall, No. 40 receiver, No. 21 in California ❱ Hayden Koo ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Cornelius, N.C. Hough High Class: 2028 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 220 Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 117 overall, No. 8 linebacker, No. 6 in North Carolina ❱ Ryan Peterson