Michigan football: 4-star OT Malakai Lee commits to 2026 class
Sherrone Moore has been putting out eyeball emojis like that's his job as of late, noting that the Wolverines have garnered a commitment that just hasn't yet gone public. With several key top targets on the board, it's been unclear just who Moore has been hinting at.
But as Friday neared, it became clear that one of them was a really big fish that Michigan football had been targeting for quite some time.
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The Wolverines have longed for 2026 Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha four-star offensive tackle Malakai Lee in a big way, having hosted him to campus more than any other program while also taking every opportunity to make the 10-hour trek to the islands to show Lee some love. Though Texas, Alabama, and Georgia all felt relatively confident that they would land the No. 85 overall prospect according to On3, it was Michigan who came out on top, beating the SEC powerhouses for his commitment.
Lee made it official, pledging to the maize and blue on Friday evening. He made his commitment live on the 247Sports YouTube channel.
Here's the scouting report from 247Sports' Greg Biggins:
From a traits standpoint, offensive linemen don't come much better looking than Lee. He's all of 6-6, 325 pounds with verified 36' arms and an 85'+ wingspan. He's a fluid mover as well and has the feet, balance and frame to project as a tackle and could line up on either side, right or left in college. He plays a little hoops as well and checks off the multi-sport box for us. He uses his length well and has the ability to slide and mirror opposing edge rushers. He has added some physicality in the run game over the last year. He's putting guys on their backs more but playing with a more aggressive edge to him is an area we think Lee can still improve on. Saying that, he's an easy high Power 4 prospect and if he hits his ceiling, he will be playing football for a very long time.
Lee is Michigan's 17th commitment in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Here's what the class looks like with him in the fold:
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Newbury Park (Calif.) four-star QB Brady Smigiel (No. 83 overall, 8th QB, 12th in California)
St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet four-star DL Titan Davis (No. 101 overall, 13th DL, 2nd in Missouri)
Mansfield (Tx.) four-star WR Zion Robinson (No. 132 overall, 18th WR, 19th in Texas)
Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha four-star OT Malakai Lee (No. 137 overall, 10th OT, 2nd in Hawaii)
Billings (Mont.) West four-star TE Matt Ludwig (No. 160 overall, 9th TE, 1st in Montana )
Chicago (Ill.) Simeon four-star EDGE McHale Blade (No. 168 overall, 21st EDGE, 4th in Illinois)
Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin four-star CB Brody Jennings (No. 277 overall, 24th CB, 43rd in Florida)
Cartersville (Ga.) Cass four-star IOL Bear McWhorter (No. 399 overall, 33rd IOL, 48th in Georgia)
Liberty Hill (Tx.) four-star DL Alister Vallejo (No. 413 overall, 44th DL, 54th in Texas)
Needham (Mass.) three-star OL Marky Walbridge (No. 447 overall, 38th OT, 2nd in Massachusetts)
Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis de Sales three-star RB Jonathan Brown (No. 561 overall, 34th RB, 26th in Ohio)
Denver (Colo.) Mullen three-star TE Mason Bonner (No. 602, 30th TE, 5th in Colorado)
Dallas (Tx.) Parish Episcopal three-star WR Jaylen Pile (No. 718 overall, 105th WR, 112th in Texas)
Richmond (Va.) Huguenot three-star LB Markel Dabney (No. 785 overall, 54th ATH, 18th in Virginia)
Washington (D.C.) St. John's three-star EDGE Tariq Boney (No. 807 overall, 74th EDGE, 4th in D.C.)
Hinsdale (Ill.) Central K Micah Drescher (No. 4 K, Chris Sailer Kicking)
Phoenix (Ariz.) Sandra Day O'Connor five-star LS Colton Dermer (No. 6 LS)
With the two Friday commitments of Lee and linebacker Markel Dabney, Michigan football has moved up from No. 18 to No. 11 in the 247Sports team rankings.
Lee is the third offensive lineman to join the class, with Bear McWhorter and Marky Walbridge already being in the fold. The only remaining target that Michigan has a strong likelihood with is Fort Worth (Tx.) North Crowley four-star OL John Turntine III.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan lands 4-star OT Malakai Lee for 2026 recruiting class
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