The list of expected recruiting visitors for this weekend’s Michigan vs Michigan State game is really, really good. A top target RB, a few highly regarded OL, players committed elsewhere, and five-star OL commit Andrew Babalola highlight this week’s list:
The Michigan Wolverines have a pivotal rivalry game this weekend against the Michigan State Spartans . Not only is it crucial to get a win for the confidence of the team moving forward — and for the sake of an irritated fan base — but it would also be nice to put on a show in front of all the recruits in attendance.
This is Michigan’s first home game in a month, so needless to say, the expected list of visitors is pretty large. Here is this week’s tentative list of visitors.
2025 Commits
Five-star OL Andrew Babalola
Four-star S Ivan Taylor
Four-star QB Carter Smith
Four-star WR Andrew Marsh
Four-star OL Avery Gach
Three-star DL Bobby Kanka
Three-star TE Eli Owens
The freshly-committed five-star tackle, Andrew Babalola will be back at Michigan for the first time since his official visit this past summer. The No. 21 overall recruit committed on Monday over Stanford, Missouri, Oklahoma and Auburn.
Michigan’s second-highest ranked commit, Ivan Taylor, will also be in town this weekend, which is a reassuring sign considering he took a trip to Tuscaloosa earlier this fall. He is reportedly “torn” between Alabama and Michigan, so he is one of the more important recruits to be on campus this weekend.
Smith, Gach, Kanka and Owens have all been committed for quite some time and are fully locked in. Marsh has been receiving interest from Washington and other programs this fall, so it is really nice to see him back on campus as well.
2025 Targets
Four-star CB Shamari Earls
As first reported by On3’s Steve Wiltfong on Thursday night, Georgia commit and top-100 overall player, four-star cornerback Shamari Earls, will be on campus for an unofficial visit this weekend. LaMar Morgan and the Wolverines have been heavily recruiting Earls ever since the summer, when he flipped his commitment from South Carolina to the Bulldogs. Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider put in a flip prediction in favor of Michigan, so hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
Four-star ATH Jordan Young
Michigan seemed dead in this recruitment for the longest time, but LaMar Morgan and the Wolverines are suddenly back in it for the 6-foot, 184-pound nickel cornerback. This will be Young’s first game day visit at Michigan this season. He is set to make his commitment on Nov. 2, so this is the last shot Michigan will have to seal the deal.
Four-star DL Joseph Mbatchou
The 6-foot-4.5, 275-pounder from Loganville, Georgia just decommitted from Florida on Monday. He was offered by Michigan earlier this month and made very fast official visit plans to Ann Arbor. However, he also has plans to officially visit Auburn, Tennessee and USC before the December signing period. He also visited Texas last weekend. This will be a fight, but Lou Esposito is going to do all he can to get Mbatchou to choose the Wolverines.
Four-star DB Alex Graham
The in-stater from Detroit has been committed to Coach Prime and Colorado since April, but he seems very open to a flip to the hometown Wolverines. With the Wolverines looking for another defensive back in this class, he very well could be the one who winds up in the class. He is a versatile prospect at 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, and can play anywhere from cornerback to safety to nickel.
Four-star LB Bradley Gompers
The Duke commit has seen as recruitment soar over the course of his senior season, going from a player that was ranked No. 973 overall to a solid four-star prospect. He took a trip to Penn State a few weeks back and was considering taking a trip to Miami for this weekend before ultimately settling on Michigan.
Four-star DB Elijah Dotson
An in-state star at Belleville High School, Dotson has been committed to Pitt since May. He has started hearing more from Michigan recently, and is now rewarding LaMar Morgan and company with a visit. His commitment to Pitt has been strong, but perhaps this trip will loosen the Panthers’ grip a little bit.
Three-star DL Benny Patterson
The recently-offered Patterson will get his first glimpse of Ann Arbor this weekend. He is committed to Cincinnati, but he also recently took a trip to USC and has plans to visit Florida State , Indiana and Texas Tech. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder hails from Newburgh, Indiana and is a late riser in his class.
Three-star DL Quante Gillians
The Syracuse commit will be in Ann Arbor for the first time to check out the Wolverines. He’s been committed since June, but Michigan is going to give him something to think about down the stretch of this class.
2026 Targets
Five-star RB Savion Hiter
Hiter is arguably Michigan’s top running back target in the 2026 class. He’s the No. 28 overall player and the No. 1 recruit in his class on the 247Sports composite. The 6-foot-11, 182-pounder from Virginia was last in Ann Arbor over the summer. He has a top-five of Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State , Penn State and Tennessee.
Four-star WR Mason James
The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder from Norman, Oklahoma is making his way back to campus for the first time since the BBQ at the Big House over the summer. Being a kid that grew up in Sooner territory, Oklahoma will likely be a major threat to land him, but he does seem to have a decent rapport with four-star quarterback commit Brady Hart early on.
Four-star OL Leo Delaney
A former teammate of freshman quarterback Jadyn Davis, the 6-foot-6, 280-pounder hails from Charlotte, North Carolina and plays at Providence Day. The top-100 overall prospect is one of Sherrone Moore’s top targets along the offensive line in this class. He lasted visited for the BBQ at the Big House.
Four-star OL Carter Scruggs
Another big time offensive line recruit heading to town this weekend, Scruggs is a top-150 overall player in the 2026 class. He visited back in the spring, and then made his way back to Ann Arbor for a camp in the summer, where he was awarded the offensive lineman MVP of the camp.
Three-star RB Marquez Wimberly
The 5-foot-9 190-pounder from the state of Pennsylvania will be in Ann Arbor for the first time this weekend. Up to this point, he does not have an offer from Michigan.
Three-star WR Gordon Sellars
Another North Carolina prospect, the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder used to catch passes from Davis at Providence Day. He just earned his offer from Michigan last month and is slated to visit Ann Arbor for the first time. He also has offers from UNC, NC State , Clemson, Florida and more.
Three-star WR Tayveon Wilson
Wilson is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound high school junior from Huntington, West Virginia. He does not have an offer yet from Michigan, but perhaps this weekend changes that. There is one early Crystal Ball in for Clemson.
Three-star OL Jarvis Strickland (MAYBE)
A new target along the offensive line, Strickland was offered by Michigan two weeks ago and is quickly getting to campus for the very first time. He even said ($) Michigan is among his top schools now after the offer. At 6-foot-6 and nearly 300 pounds, the Paducah, Kentucky native comes in at No. 434 overall on the composite.
Three-star edge Jacob Alexander
Alexander earned his offer over the summer while attending Michigan’s BBQ at the Big House. This will be his first time back in Ann Arbor since that trip, so this is a good opportunity for the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder from Frankfort, Illinois to check out a game day atmosphere. He holds other offers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas State , Nebraska, Missouri Minnesota, Louisville, Cincinnati and more.
Unranked OL Sullivan Garvin
The Allegan, Michigan native does not yet hold an offer from Michigan, but he does have impressive early offers from Notre Dame, Indiana and Washington. AT 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, Garvin appears to be an interior mauler at the next level.
Unranked OL Jax Tanner
Tanner was just offered by Michigan last week, so this is trip was thrown together pretty fast. He likely won’t be unranked for long, as he holds other offers from Oregon, Cal, Utah, BYU, Boise State, Nebraska, Vanderbilt and more.
Unranked OL Xavier Payne
Anyone with the last name “Payne” is automatically going to be a guy I want on my football team. At 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds, the Orlando, Florida native has yet to be offered by the Wolverines, but he doe shave offers from Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State and more.
Unranked LB Phillip Goodrich
Goodrich is currently unranked, but plays at a big time football program in Florida, St. Thomas Aquinas. He is 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, and has other offers from Pitt, Indiana, West Virginia and more.
Unranked LB Hudson Dunn
Michigan offered the Peoria, Arizona native over the summer, along with other solid programs like Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, Miami and more. He’s taken other trips to Arizona State and Penn State this fall.
Unranked S Robert Reddick
Reddick does not have a Michigan offer yet, but perhaps that will change this weekend. At 6-foot-2, and 170 pounds, the Indianapolis native does hold offers so far from Illinois, Purdue and Western Michigan.
Class of 2027
Five-star edge Recarder Kitchen
The Muskegon, Michigan native has a ton of update at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds as a high school sophomore. As a freshman last year at the varsity level, Kitchen put up 50 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two pass deflections. He already has an early offer from the Wolverines, along with MSU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Pitt, Indiana and more.
Four-star ATH Anthony Cartwright
The Franklin, Michigan native is an early top-100 talent in his cycle. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Cartwright is being recruited as a tight end. He holds other offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss , Michigan State and more.
Unranked OL Braden Chaffin
An in-state prospect from Detroit Jesuit High School, Chaffin is 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, so he has some muscle and mass to put on before he gets to the next level. His only offers up to this point are from Central Michigan, Kent State and Marshall.