Now that the Michigan Wolverines’ hopes of pulling off the most unfathomable national championship in the history of college football are over, let’s turn the page and look for optimism in what will be a long offseason.
The early signing period for the 2026 recruiting class began on Wednesday, and the Wolverines were able to lock in a number of highly regarded prospects. Some of these Wolverines will take some time to get acclimated to the college level, while others will adjust rather quickly and be seen on the field early and often.
Here are three recruits that could make an immediate impact on Team 147.
At 5-foot-11.5, 200 pounds, the five-star running back out of Mineral, Virginia should have a great chance to play right away. Hiter is the top-ranked running back, the best player in the state of Virginia and a Top-10 overall recruit in the class.
Justice Haynes is a junior and is eligible to declare for the NFL Draft, while Jordan Marshall has at least another year in Ann Arbor and should be a focal point of next year’s offense. However, even with Bryson Kuzdzal’s emergency emergence and a promising true freshman like Jasper Parker waiting in the wings, none offer Hiter’s combination of explosiveness, vision and power.
It is not far-fetched to think one of the best backs in high school football continues his dominance in a run-heavy offense like Michigan’s.
Similar to Hiter, this is a bit of a cop-out since Meadows, a consensus five-star and arguably the best pass rusher in his class, is an obvious choice to make an immediate impact.
That does not make it wrong.
Meadows has a lot going for him. He is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, so he will likely need to bulk up to survive in the trenches in the Big Ten. However, the outside work is special — he has great burst off the line, a variety of moves to beat blockers, a limitless motor that defensive line coach Lou Esposito must be salivating over, and a bendy speed rush to tie it all together.
Derrick Moore, TJ Guy and Jaishawn Barham are out of eligibility, so there should be an opportunity for Meadows to earn snaps. He is far from a finished product and will need some technique refinement, but once he figures out how to play college ball, Meadows will create significant issues for opposing offenses.
Lee already has Big Ten size at 6-foot-6, 318 pounds and the surprisingly good footwork to hold up against elite defensive linemen. Lee is a Top-200 player nationally, a Top-20 tackle and one of the most prized blue chip players coming out of Hawaii.
Everything is there for Lee — he is a towering, intimidating presence on whichever side of the line his coach needs him. He can get downfield and devastate linebackers and defensive backs with his ruthless run blocks. He is incredibly long and should be able to keep edge rushers at bay (for as long as Bryce Underwood needs to throw).
The only hurdle for Lee is a stuffy path to playing time. The Wolverines were young on the line with redshirt freshmen left tackle Blake Frazier, right guard Jake Guarnera and rigt tackle Andrew Sprague all becoming starters at some point. Lee will also have to compete with a healthy Evan Link, and a pair of soon-to-be redshirt freshmen in Ty Haywood and Andrew Babalola, along with another half a dozen others waiting in the wings.
Whether he has to wait his turn or not, Lee is going to be a serious player for this program.
