BOOOOOM!!! 2026 four-star OL Malakai Lee has committed to Michigan Football! The towering 6-foot-6, 318-pounder chose the Wolverines over Georgia, Alabama and Texas. STORY:
The Michigan Wolverines added a monster of a human being to their 2026 class on Friday night when four-star offensive lineman Malakai Lee announced his commitment to the Maize and Blue.
BREAKING: Four-Star OT Malakai Lee has Committed to Michigan, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’7 320 OT from Kaneohe, HI chose the Wolverines over Georgia, Texas, & Alabama
“Thank you God for helping me through this process. GO BLUE!!”https://t.co/xyCnBNv379 pic.twitter.com/r79GhHtElW
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 27, 2025
The 6-foot-6, 318-pounder from Honolulu, Hawaii has long been considered one of, if not the No. 1 top target along the offensive line for Sherrone Moore and Grant Newsome in this cycle. The Wolverines offered Lee last June and have prioritized him like no other offensive lineman in the class, Newsome made countless trips to Hawaii — a 9-plus-hour flight from Michigan — to visit with Lee and his family.
@UMichFootball @Coach_SMoore @grant_newsome appreciate you making the trip back out to Hawaii. See you in Ann Arbor for Victors Weekend.. GO BLUE!!
〽️〽️〽️#IMUA @KSKAthletics
Kalihi,HI. Derby Camp pic.twitter.com/Wu81yaxfiX— Malakai Lee (@MalakaiLee2) May 19, 2025
Lee returned the favor with a few trips to Ann Arbor over the course of his recruitment, including most recently for his official visit the weekend of June 20.
He had a laundry list of offers, but Lee eventually narrowed things down to a top-four list of Michigan, Texas, Alabama and Georgia. He took official visits to all four schools before locking in his commitment to the Wolverines.
247Sports’ Greg Biggins scouted Lee in March and wrote this about him:
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.
The Wolverines are now up to 16 commitments and have the 11th ranked class in the 2026 cycle — just ahead of Texas and right behind Alabama — according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Lee is also the third offensive lineman to commit to Michigan, joining four-star interior lineman Bear McWhorter and three-star tackle Marky Walbridge.
With Lee now in the fold, the Wolverines will turn all their attention to one final target on the offensive line in this class, four-star John Turntine III . He is set to announce his commitment on the Fourth of July and will choose between Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M and Stanford. If they miss on Turntine, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Wolverines roll with this three-man offensive line class and potentially offer some late-rising seniors later in the fall.
Lee is the No. 2 player from the state of Hawaii, No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 137 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the composite. Check out some of his junior year highlights down below.