ANN ARBOR – Michigan’s football team is one of the youngest in the Big Ten in 2025 and has relied on a multitude of underclassmen on both sides of the ball to play meaningful snaps.
With the regular season over and a new recruiting class signed, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2026. During last week’s early signing window, the Wolverines inked 27 high school prospects – a group that ranks No. 11 nationally, per the 247Sports composite.
The class includes two five-star recruits and 11 ranked among the top 250 in the country. Roster movement across college football will continue through the January transfer portal window, but regardless of what happens with the Wolverines, some freshmen are bound to see the field in 2026.
“I’m really excited about the whole class,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said during his Monday news conference. “It’s a fun class. It’s a great bunch of kids, families, but a lot of good players.”
Here are five who could make an immediate impact:
Five-star RB Savion Hiter
The 6-foot, 210-pounder is a complete back who possesses home-run ability every time he touches the ball. He dominated when he was on the field this season, rushing for 1,440 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging 13.2 yards per carry for Mineral (Va.) Louisa County. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia and has all the physical tools to become an every-down back. That likely won’t happen in year one with Jordan Marshall and potentially Justice Haynes still on the roster, but Hiter is expected to have a role from the get-go.
“I don’t put too much on him to start,” Moore said on the signing day episode of the “In the Trenches” podcast with Jon Jansen. “I want him to be him, but he’s electric. He’s an elite specimen physicality. A great human being. We’ll see exactly what he does when he gets here, but I imagine he’s going to be an immediate impact for us.”
Four-star WR Travis Johnson
A lack of a consistent downfield passing game once again plagued Michigan in 2025. Freshman receiver Andrew Marsh has star potential, but freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood needs more playmakers around him. Johnson, a 6-foot-2 wideout from Oscar Smith High – a perennial power in Virginia – could be a solution.
The No. 107 overall prospect nationally had nearly 1,000 receiving yards this season and 13 touchdowns. With Donaven McCulley graduating, Johnson will be an option to fill a starting role on the outside.
“He can jump out the building,” The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich told MLive. “He’s got athletic traits that you can’t teach.”
Five-star edge Carter Meadows
The Wolverines are likely losing several outside pass-rushers in Derrick Moore, TJ Guy and Jaishawn Barham. Those snaps will be distributed to others next season, with Meadows being a candidate. He’s the No. 6 overall prospect in the class – a testament to his athleticism at his size. The product out of Gonzaga College in Washington D.C. likely will need to add weight to his current 6-foot-7, 235-pound frame, but his raw ability gives the Wolverines a potential difference-maker coming off the edge for years to come.
“Carter is a special talent,” Moore said during the Big Ten Network signing day special. “Very long, rangy frame. Twitchy, physical, but an extremely intelligent kid. Academics mean a lot to him. I think he’s going to develop into a freak.
“I could see him being a possible first-round draft pick, but that takes a lot of work. But he has all the ability in the world and all the size to allow us to put him in different places in the defense.”
Four-star DL Alister Vallejo
It’s difficult for defensive tackles to see the field early, but Michigan loves to rotate along the line and will have to replace several key bodies from this season, namely Rayshaun Benny, Damon Payne and Tre Williams. Moore has already thrown out lofty comparisons for Vallejo, the No. 205 overall recruit has climbed nearly 300 spots in the rankings since May.
“When you watch his film, he looks like (former Michigan lineman and first-round pick Mason Graham),” Moore said Monday. “You can’t say, hey, you’re going to be like Mason Graham. Mason Graham was a top-10 pick. That’s putting a lot on the kid. But his movements, his twitchiness, his ability to get off blocks, that’s what it looks like.”
Vallejo is 6-foot-3, 310 pounds and starred at Liberty Hill High in Texas.
Four-star WR Brady Marchese
Receiver is arguably the Wolverines’ biggest need this offseason, and signing two top-150 recruits at the position is a good start. Marchese profiles as more of a slot receiver but brings elite speed wherever he lines up. The Wolverines flipped him from Georgia on Thursday after losing four-star wideout Zion Robinson to Stanford earlier that morning.
In 2025, Marchese had 41 receptions for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns in 11 games.
“Dynamic playmaker who we’ve recruited for a while,” Moore said on “In The Trenches.” “Really needed a guy that could affect us in the slot, but also in the return game. Explosive, great ball skills, great catch radius for his size. Dynamic in different phases.”
