Michigan football loses 4-star CB target to rival school for 2026 recruiting class
Michigan football is set to hold its final official visit weekend of the late spring, early summer, and the Wolverines are hoping that it pays dividends. With three weekends preceding, the maize and blue knocked it out of the park with some prospects, but with others, perhaps they fell a little short.
The Wolverines currently have one cornerback committed to the 2026 class in Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin four-star Brody Jennings, but there are a handful of other corners that the maize and blue have ben in strong contention for. Michigan is hosting Carrollton (Ga.) four-star corner Dorian Barney this weekend, and appears to be in the lead for Frisco (Tx.) Panther Creek four-star Donovan Webb. But perhaps atop the wish list was Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield four-star Khary Adams.
Advertisement
Ranked the No. 36 player in the country according to 247Sports, Adams had long appeared to be strongly considering Michigan football, Penn State, and Oregon. But ultimately, Notre Dame ended up winning out, as Adams pledged to the Irish on Friday.
With Adams off the board, the Wolverines will likely work extra hard to keep Jennings in the fold -- which will be a challenge given that he's being highly pursued by the Florida schools and others within the SEC-ACC footprint. Webb could be the second addition, and he's starting to trend towards the Wolverines since his visit.
Here are Michigan's current commitments in the 2026 class:
Advertisement
Newbury Park (Calif.) four-star QB Brady Smigiel (No. 83 overall, 7th QB, 12th in California)
Billings (Mt.) West four-star TE Matt Ludwig (No. 160 overall, 9th TE, 1st in Montana )
Chicago (Ill.) Simeon four-star EDGE McHale Blade (No. 169 overall, 21st EDGE, 5th 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. 411 overall, 44th DL, 55th in Texas)
Denver (Colo.) Mullen three-star TE Mason Bonner (No. 600 via On3; 30th TE, 5th in Colorado)
Dallas (Tx.) Parish Episcopal three-star WR Jaylen Pile (No. 714 overall, 103rd WR, 113th in Texas)
Washington (D.C.) St. John's three-star EDGE Tariq Boney (No. 796 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)
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football target, 4-star CB, commits elsewhere for 2026

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
The Buffalo Sabres Must Have More Moves In Store After Peterka Trade… Right?
The Buffalo Sabres got people thinking Thursday when they sent JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. In return for the up-and-coming left winger, Buffalo received right winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring. The deal didn't come as much of a surprise, given that Peterka – an RFA heading into the off-season – had yet to sign a contract extension with Buffalo. But the return the Sabres got for Peterka had us asking one question – that can't be it, right? While Doan and Kesselring may eventually evolve into important pieces of the puzzle for the Sabres, this lineup hasn't changed nearly enough for a franchise that hasn't made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the past 14 years. Although the 23-year-old Doan has some promise as a power forward, he won't replace the offense Peterka brought to the table for the past two seasons, when he had a combined 55 goals and 118 points. Not yet, anyway. So yes, we must ask whether the Sabres have more moves coming besides that trade and re-signing Jack Quinn to a two-year contract with a $3.375-million cap hit on Friday. All eyes in Buffalo are now trained on RFA defenseman Bowen Byram, who seems less likely to sign an extension with each passing day. Adding Kesselring helps deepen Buffalo's defense on the right side, but only intermittently until Byram is dealt, or if he's dealt. Drafting right-handed blueliner Radim Mrtka ninth overall at the NHL draft is great, but if he's not playing in the NHL in October, there must be additional moves for the Sabres to ensure they're building playoff-caliber depth. Peterka's immediate signing with the Mammoth tells you one of a few things: either he wasn't willing to sign a long-term deal at $7.7 million per season with the Sabres, vice versa or both. None of those possibilities paint Sabres GM Kevyn Adams or team ownership in a positive light. There are too many instances of players wanting out of Buffalo in their playoff drought, and that means Adams must be cold-blooded and doggedly determined to put together a roster that can legitimately compete for a playoff spot. With that in mind, Sabres fans should absolutely be expecting more moves to come for this franchise. Dealing Byram almost seems like an inevitability at this point, but even beyond that, there must be some fundamental changes for the organization. Simply put, the status quo cannot be an option for Buffalo. So many years of losing have created an odor around this franchise that can't be easily perfumed. But that doesn't give Adams a free pass to essentially run it back with more or less the same level of talent. If these Sabres don't make upgrades this summer, there should be even greater unrest among the Sabres' fan base. The message to Adams is clear: get to moving some players of note off this roster, and bring in some better players in a hurry. And no excuse that leads to Adams not doing anything in that respect will keep Sabres fans from lashing out in anger and frustration. Get thelatest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and bysubscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting belowthe article on Copyright 2025 The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Michigan football's latest 2026 commits: Lee, Robinson lead CBS Sports ratings
The Wolverines have been on a recruiting heater in the past week-plus, and they're showing no signs of slowing down. Friday saw Michigan football add two commitments, with one being Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha four-star offensive tackle Malakai Lee, one of the maize and blue's top overall offensive targets in the 2026 recruiting cycle. But, as CBS Sports notes, not all commitments are created equal. And the network has created a new way to evaluate pledges to determine just how impactful their additions might be. Advertisement With what CBS Sports is calling a 'commitment impact score,' the network weighs the roster boost, how much momentum the commitment creates, and how much the recruit fits into a team's culture. Then, they're scored from 1-10, with a 9-10 being a 'game-changer,' a 7-8 being a 'strong add,' a 5-6 being 'solid depth,' and 1-4 being 'low impact.' Starting with the newest pledge, the aforementioned Lee, the Wolverines got what CBS Sports calls a strong add. 4-star OT Malakai Lee commits to Michigan Our eval: Strong add (8/10) Michigan's offensive line had been the gold standard during the Jim Harbaugh era and the program has recruited well enough for that to continue. The recruiting bubble seems to have popped for Michigan as several have either joined or will soon join the Wolverine's 2026 recruiting class. His potential is insane as he has good size and a verified 85 inch wingspan. But Lee committed about 10-15 minutes after another was added to the class, with Richmond (Va.) Huguenot three-star linebacker Markel Dabney flipping from SMU to Michigan football just before the announcement in Hawaii. Of course, Dabney isn't quite as highly regarded as Lee, with CBS Sports noting him as 'modest,' but it's still a good addition from the network's perspective. 3-star LB Markel Dabney flips from SMU to Michigan Our eval: Solid Depth (5/10) Markel Dabney is a modest addition, but he did flip from SMU. His official visit list is not littered with the nation's top programs, but Michigan has done well identifying and developing 3-star recruits over the years like Kris Jenkins, Mike Sainristil, DJ Turner, Mike Morris and others. The timing is good because the Virginia native is a part of a big recruiting run for the Wolverines. Advertisement As CBS Sports notes, just because talent evaluators aren't all in line calling Dabney a home run doesn't mean that Michigan football won't develop him in a way that is beyond impactful. And certainly, the Wolverines are excited about Dabney's potential in Wink Martindale's system. The new scoring table also covers some other recent Michigan commitments. Offensive lineman Marky Walbridge got a score of five, solid depth, while wide receiver Zion Robinson got a nine -- 'game changer.' The Michigan wide receiver room received a significant talent upgrade with the addition of Robinson, the sixth-ranked wide receiver and No. 71 overall prospect in the 2026 class who chose the Wolverines over the likes of Miami, Nebraska and Stanford. The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder is an explosive athlete who posted multiple sub-11-second 100-meter times as a sophomore in 2024 - that same year, he won the Texas 6A state title in the high jump (6-8). This marks the second straight cycle that the Wolverines have gone into the Lone Star State to land an elite wideout (Katy Jordan's Andrew Marsh was the No. 82 overall prospect and No. 13 wide receiver in 2025). We expect Robinson and Marsh to be great targets for Bryce Underwood in the future. Four-star defensive tackle Titan Davis also was evaluated and got a score of eight, strong add. This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football's latest 2026 commits shine in CBS Sports ratings


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Michigan football's latest 2026 commits: Lee, Robinson lead CBS Sports ratings
The Wolverines have been on a recruiting heater in the past week-plus, and they're showing no signs of slowing down. Friday saw Michigan football add two commitments, with one being Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha four-star offensive tackle Malakai Lee, one of the maize and blue's top overall offensive targets in the 2026 recruiting cycle. But, as CBS Sports notes, not all commitments are created equal. And the network has created a new way to evaluate pledges to determine just how impactful their additions might be. With what CBS Sports is calling a 'commitment impact score,' the network weighs the roster boost, how much momentum the commitment creates, and how much the recruit fits into a team's culture. Then, they're scored from 1-10, with a 9-10 being a 'game-changer,' a 7-8 being a 'strong add,' a 5-6 being 'solid depth,' and 1-4 being 'low impact.' Starting with the newest pledge, the aforementioned Lee, the Wolverines got what CBS Sports calls a strong add. 4-star OT Malakai Lee commits to Michigan Our eval: Strong add (8/10) Michigan's offensive line had been the gold standard during the Jim Harbaugh era and the program has recruited well enough for that to continue. The recruiting bubble seems to have popped for Michigan as several have either joined or will soon join the Wolverine's 2026 recruiting class. His potential is insane as he has good size and a verified 85 inch wingspan. But Lee committed about 10-15 minutes after another was added to the class, with Richmond (Va.) Huguenot three-star linebacker Markel Dabney flipping from SMU to Michigan football just before the announcement in Hawaii. Of course, Dabney isn't quite as highly regarded as Lee, with CBS Sports noting him as 'modest,' but it's still a good addition from the network's perspective. 3-star LB Markel Dabney flips from SMU to Michigan Our eval: Solid Depth (5/10) Markel Dabney is a modest addition, but he did flip from SMU. His official visit list is not littered with the nation's top programs, but Michigan has done well identifying and developing 3-star recruits over the years like Kris Jenkins, Mike Sainristil, DJ Turner, Mike Morris and others. The timing is good because the Virginia native is a part of a big recruiting run for the Wolverines. As CBS Sports notes, just because talent evaluators aren't all in line calling Dabney a home run doesn't mean that Michigan football won't develop him in a way that is beyond impactful. And certainly, the Wolverines are excited about Dabney's potential in Wink Martindale's system. The new scoring table also covers some other recent Michigan commitments. Offensive lineman Marky Walbridge got a score of five, solid depth, while wide receiver Zion Robinson got a nine -- 'game changer.' The Michigan wide receiver room received a significant talent upgrade with the addition of Robinson, the sixth-ranked wide receiver and No. 71 overall prospect in the 2026 class who chose the Wolverines over the likes of Miami, Nebraska and Stanford. The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder is an explosive athlete who posted multiple sub-11-second 100-meter times as a sophomore in 2024 - that same year, he won the Texas 6A state title in the high jump (6-8). This marks the second straight cycle that the Wolverines have gone into the Lone Star State to land an elite wideout (Katy Jordan's Andrew Marsh was the No. 82 overall prospect and No. 13 wide receiver in 2025). We expect Robinson and Marsh to be great targets for Bryce Underwood in the future. Four-star defensive tackle Titan Davis also was evaluated and got a score of eight, strong add.