The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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52 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2026 Four-star offensive tackle Jakari Lipsey committed to Michigan in May and helped kick off a run of pledges to the Wolverines on the recruiting trail. He's completely locked in with the pro- gram going into the fall as he begins his final season at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Loy Norrix. At 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, the na- tion's No. 129 recruit is stepping out of his comfort zone. Lipsey is usually not a vocal leader, but he noticed his team needed that presence. Lipsey is a cap- tain for Loy Norrix, and he stepped up to help his school start the season 2-0. "When it comes to that type of stuff, I'm usually just quiet," Lipsey said. "I'm just doing my thing. But I noticed that I've got to start speaking up more because they're going to listen to me." Lipsey finishes his blocks with au- thority and set the tone during a Week 2 blowout victory with 3 pancakes on Loy Norrix's opening touchdown drive. He wants to win the Anvil Award, an honor bestowed upon the top lineman in the state of Michigan every year. U-M offensive line coach Jim Hard- ing identified Lipsey as one of his top targets extremely quickly after joining the staff. Their relationship continues to grow stronger, and the elite tackle said he remains "140" percent locked in with Michigan. "I feel at home," Lipsey said. "I know where everything is. I know Ann Arbor already." Michigan offered Lipsey last fall, but the program really caught his attention once the new staff arrived — their ap- proach really standing out to the No. 4 recruit in the state. "The old coaching staff wasn't really on me that much," Lipsey said. "And then, when the new coaching staff came, that's when they were texting me a lot. They were checking up on me. Then I started noticing other schools just really started to die down a lot, and then Michigan stayed coming with the heat. They've got so many people texting me. I'm loving it." Lipsey still talks to Harding every other day and likes him both as a coach and for his personality. The blue-chip lineman took visits to UCLA and LSU in the spring, and a late offer from Ten- nessee caught his attention, but he de- cided to shut things down early, figur- ing there was no point in prolonging the process. "I just had to commit," Lipsey said. "I already knew where I was going, so there was no point trying to fake it or anything." Lipsey returned to U-M's campus six weeks later for Victors Weekend and enjoyed that trip. He was the third of- fensive line commit in the class, along- side Louis Esposito and Sidney Rouleau at that point, and Lincoln Mageo com- mitted a few weeks later. They have a group chat together now, and Lipsey has high hopes for the future of their class. "My guys are great," Lipsey said. "They're just sleeping on us right now like everybody does. We're like the sleeping giants." — Ethan McDowell Kinnard Mahomes has always been very high on Michigan, and his third trip to campus during the Western Michigan weekend only strengthened those positive feelings. The Wolver- ines left a strong impression on the Ri- vals300 cornerback out of Baltimore (Md.) Mount Saint Joseph during their Week 1 victory. This was his first time in Ann Arbor for a game day. Michigan offered the No. 154 prospect in the 2028 class June 10 and built a strong connection with him over the next couple of months. Cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford and the recruiting staff reached out to Mahomes multiple times per week, and he locked in his Sept. 5 visit. "I had a great time," Mahomes said. "It was an amazing atmosphere out there." Notre Dame, Oregon, Indiana and many others have also offered the No. 20 cornerback in the country. Ma- homes is focused on programs with strong histories of development and longevity, and Michigan stands out thanks to its strong reputation in the secondary. "It's been my dream school for a while now," Mahomes said. The 6-foot, 165-pound defender previously visited the Wolverines in June and is familiar with the new staff at this point. Mahomes said Michigan likes his man-coverage skill set as well as his physicality. "They seem like really genuine peo- ple that seem very interested in me and really want to get to know me," Ma- homes said. Mahomes said he will try to get back on campus soon. Another visit and continued communication with the staff are the important next steps in his evolving relationship with U-M. As for now, Mahomes said his first game day lived up to expectations. "The atmosphere was really differ- ent," Mahomes said. "Especially on that last play, I had not seen anything like that. That was crazy." Indiana, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame will host him later this year for game days. Mahomes is still in the very early stages of his decision-making process, but the Wolverines remain in a strong spot with the blue-chip pros- pect coming out of this visit. "Michigan is definitely at the top," Mahomes said. — Ethan McDowell Michigan Commit Jakari Lipsey Remains Locked In Michigan 'At The Top' For Kinnard Mahomes ❱ PREP PROFILES ✪✪ ✪✪ ✪ Kalamazoo, Mich. Loy Norrix High Class: 2028 Position: Offensive tackle Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 290 Rivals Rankings: No. 129 overall, No. 10 offensive tackle, No. 4 in Michigan ❱ Jakari Lipsey ✪✪ ✪✪ ✪ Baltimore Mount Saint Joseph High Class: 2028 Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 165 Rivals Rankings: No. 154 overall, No. 20 cornerback, No. 6 in Maryland ❱ Kinnard Mahomes