Chip Lindsey and the Michigan Wolverines are ensuring five-star QB Ryder Lyons that he is their “clear No. 1 guy” in the 2026 class. We have that and more in today’s Recruiting Roundup:
The Michigan Wolverines held their first big recruiting weekend of the year over the weekend, with dozens of prospects checking out all that Ann Arbor has to offer.
We will cover a couple recruits who recently visited in today’s Recruiting Roundup, but first…
Chip Lindsey assures five-star QB he is the ‘clear No. 1 guy’
Ryder Lyons has slowly become Michigan’s top target at the quarterback position in the 2026 cycle. The California native and the No. 16 overall prospect in the class is being targeted by schools closer to home such as Oregon, BYU and USC, but the Wolverines are in the thick of things thanks to their new offensive coordinator.
Lyons spoke with On3’s EJ Holland ($) to give some insight into the efforts Michigan is putting in recruiting him.
“Coach Sherrone Moore and coach (Chip) Lindsey have really been trying to build a relationship with me,” Lyons said. “As soon as coach Lindsey got the job, he made it clear that I’m their No. 1 guy. Their message is that I’m a top guy and they want me bad. They believe in me.”
Lyons is set to make his first ever trip as a recruit to Michigan on April 12. Should things go well during that visit, scheduling an official visit for this summer isn’t out of the question. He already has officials planned for Oregon, USC and BYU.
Lyons is the perfect player to replace Bryce Underwood when he (assuming here) declares for the NFL Draft after his junior year. Lyons should be viewed as a 2027 recruit due to his upcoming one-year mission trip for The Church of Latter-day Saints, so that means he would get to learn under Underwood for a year before potentially taking over. Lyons seems excited about that possible opportunity.
“I could learn under him during his third year and then come in,” Lyons said. “You want to come in with the best and compete against the best. Why not? He’s obviously very talented, but I’d be okay with whatever that means. I’ll compete with anyone.”
Four-star OL locks in official visit after visiting last week
After flying all the way from Hawaii to Michigan on his own dime (again) last week, 2026 four-star offensive lineman Malakai Lee has locked in his official visit to Michigan for the weekend of June 20. The Wolverines are bringing in all their top targets in the class that weekend for “Victors Weekend,” as they have deemed it over the last few years.
“They’ve just been really awesome to us and great, and they’ve been super consistent,” Lee told On3’s Ethan McDowell ($). “We really appreciate them, so we just decided that Victor’s Weekend, that’s probably the best date for them, best date for us.”
Head coach Sherrone Moore and offensive line coach Grant Newsome have made sure Lee is feeling like a top priority for them, and that includes this past week and Moore spent a lot of time with him during his three-day stay.
“A lot of my questions were already answered,” Lee said. “They kind of just smashed this unofficial out of the water. I’m looking forward to our official visit.”
Other schools to look out for include Alabama — where he will be unofficially visiting in the near future — and USC.
Quick Hitters
- After unofficially visiting last week, 2026 four-star edge rusher Trenton Henderson told 247Sports’ Brian Dohn ($) that he wants to plan an official visit to Michigan. He already has officials planned to Auburn, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Florida and Florida State.
- 2026 defensive lineman Alister Vallejo is set to unofficially visit Michigan on April 12, per The Michigan Insider’s Steve Lorenz ($). He does not yet hold an offer from the Wolverines.
- Finally, 2026 three-star cornerback Hakim Satterwhite has set his commitment date for July 9, per On3’s McDowell ($). He just unofficially visited Michigan this past weekend.