June is a month when college football staffs are pulled in many directions.
After wrapping up its first weekend of official visits, Michigan sent a few staff members to the National College Showcase camp Sunday in Detroit, though Sherrone Moore and his fellow head coaches from the Big Ten weren’t in attendance this year. Monday, the Wolverines hosted their own camp, the first of several that will take place over the next few weeks. By the end of the month, Michigan’s coaches will have seen lots of prospects, and lots of prospects will have seen them.Boots on the ground,” wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy said, describing Michigan’s approach in June. “We’re working nonstop, every day of the week, and just keep attacking everything.”
Michigan’s 2026 recruiting class, which sits at No. 39 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, has been a bit slow to develop, though that’s not unusual. The finish is what people remember, and no program finished stronger than Michigan in 2025. After signing a top-10 class that included No. 1 overall prospect Bryce Underwood, Michigan will try to keep the momentum going with 2026 prospects who are visiting campus this month.
“A guy of (Underwood’s) caliber, you want to follow him,” Bellamy said. “He has a huge following here in this state. I’m sure it’s going to help on the recruiting trail for us.”
Here are five storylines to follow as prospects make their way to Ann Arbor for official visits.
Who’s the headliner?
Right now it’s Brady Smigiel, the four-star quarterback who committed to Michigan in April. Building around a top-100 quarterback prospect is typically a sound strategy, though Michigan has other needs in this class that may take precedence. There’s not an Underwood-caliber recruit out there who can immediately become the face of the class, but Michigan has a few candidates who could take top billing.
The first player who comes to mind is Mineral, Va., running back Savion Hiter, the No. 17 player in the composite rankings. Hiter is slated to take his final two official visits to Michigan the weekend of June 13 and Tennessee the weekend of June 20. Those two visits could go a long way in determining which school has the inside track with the top running back prospect in the 2026 class. Ohio State and Georgia are also finalists.
Hiter is a priority for Michigan, especially in light of Javian Osborne’s commitment to Notre Dame earlier this spring. After a five-star quarterback and a five-star offense tackle headlined the 2025 class, a five-star running back would be the ideal centerpiece for Michigan in 2026.
The other player on Michigan’s visit list who could command headliner status is offensive tackle Felix Ojo, the No. 7 prospect in the 2026 class. Michigan isn’t the perceived favorite for Ojo — that’s probably home-state Texas, with Ohio State also making a push — but the Wolverines are in the top group. Beyond that, Michigan has visits scheduled with several top-100 players who could vie for the top spot in the class, including edge prospects Carter Meadows and Trenton Henderson, athlete Salesi Moa, cornerback Khary Adams and offensive tackle John Turntine
How much is Michigan being impacted by the uncertainty of … everything?
Schools are planning to start sharing revenue with athletes on July 1 pursuant to the terms of the House v. NCAA settlement. That settlement has not yet been approved, leaving programs in limbo on issues like roster limits, a proposed clearinghouse for NIL deals and other parts of the post-settlement landscape.
The uncertainty hasn’t kept programs from loading up on commitments for the Class of 2026. USC is No. 1 in the team rankings with 27 commitments, and Notre Dame is No. 2 with 16. But Michigan has additional complications that might be affecting the 2026 recruiting class.
Michigan was scheduled to go before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions this week to make its case in the long-running Connor Stalions/impermissible scouting investigation, paving the way for a ruling later this summer. The program is already under NCAA probation through April 2027 because of the so-called “Burgergate” investigation that involved violations of the COVID-19 dead period. Michigan settled that case with the NCAA and agreed to a series of recruiting penalties, including four weeks of zero recruiting communication that were to be served between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
