After a successful official visit weekend, Michigan landed a top defensive target on Monday evening in four-star edge rusher McHale Blade. Now he is sharing why he sided with the Wolverines over Notre Dame and others:
Defensive line coach Lou Esposito has made a name for himself on the field and on the recruiting trail. In the latter category, he helped the Michigan Wolverines land a pair of talented defensive linemen in the last couple days. We get to hear from one of them in today’s Recruiting Roundup.
Four-star discusses why he chose Michigan
2026 four-star edge McHale Blade committed to Michigan on Monday evening after a successful official visit to Ann Arbor last weekend. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder from Chicago told 247Sports’ Allen Trieu ($) why exactly he chose Michigan.
“They’ve got the best of both worlds from a great education to football where they’re known for developing defensive linemen,” Blade said. “They’re D-Line U. They have a ton of guys in the NFL. I also know they have a big alumni base and are an extremely good school academically.”
Loyalty was also a big thing for Blade. An injury derailed his entire junior year, but Michigan continued to recruit him hard.
“Man, I’ve been through a lot, worked extremely hard while going through the recruiting process and taking visits so I’m excited to get back to the main thing which is football and being the best version I can be,” Blade said. “That was one more thing about Michigan is they stuck with me through the whole process (of transferring) from Hillcrest to Simeon. They never stopped calling and have been with me since day one.”
Blade took official visits to Purdue and Wisconsin prior to his weekend at Michigan. He was originally going to visit USC and Notre Dame, but decided to shut things down beforehand.
He is the 21st ranked defensive lineman and No. 169 overall, per 247Sports’ composite. However, Blade told Trieu the Wolverines plan on putting him on the edge.
Top LB target has great visit to Ann Arbor
Blade wasn’t the only top target on campus this weekend. 2026 four-star linebacker Brayden Rouse was also on his official visit to Michigan and came away impressed.
“I got a great feeling when I stepped back on campus,” he told On3’s Simmons ($). “The biggest highlight for me was being able to talk ball with coach BJ (Brian Jean-Mary) and coach Wink (Martindale). Having them explain how I would fit in their scheme was great. Being able to talk to other players and recruits and compare our recruiting processes and what attracted all of us to Michigan was cool too. Seeing the campus and going downtown and seeing all the stuff you can do was nice too.”
Rouse is down to his final four schools — Michigan, Texas, Tennessee and Alabama. With his first two official visits now in the rearview mirror, next up are trips to Texas (this weekend) and Tennessee (June 20). He does not have a definitive decision date, but he is targeting early July.
One of the top prospects in the country, Rouse is ranked No. 87 overall on the composite.
Michigan seeing double at the LB position
Michigan also played host to another top linebacker, 2026 four-star Nick Abrams . After a successful visit this past weekend, he can now envision Ann Arbor being his home.
“I knew Michigan was going to be a contender when I dropped the top-four,” Abrams told On3’s Holland ($). “I knew it would be really hard not to call this place home. It reassured everything I was feeling. Georgia set the bar really high. I think Michigan matched it.”
The Wolverines pitched him on being a big part of their defense, and they even compared him to a star linebacker in the NFL.
“I would be a hybrid linebacker on first and second down, playing stack linebacker,” Abrams said. “On third down, I can be that chess piece and move around. A comparison they gave was Patrick Queen based on my athleticism and the way I move around. Coach Wink likes to move and match. They definitely gave me a great outlook on how the defense would fit with me in it.”
Abrams’ final four schools are Michigan, Alabama, Georgia and Oregon. With trips to Georgia and Michigan now in the books, the plan is for him to visit Alabama and Oregon the next two weekends before making his commitment on July 16.
Quick Hitters
- 2026 three-star defensive lineman JJ Finch also visited Michigan this weekend. This marks his third visit to campus and will make a commitment shortly after official visit season.
- Michigan recently offered 2027 three-star offensive lineman Tristan Dare out of powerhouse Southlake Carroll in the state of Texas.
- The Wolverines extended an offer to 2028 athlete Mylan Griggs . The 6-foot, 160-pounder plays at Cass Tech in Detroit and holds other early offers from USC, Kentucky, Miami, Louisville, Wisconsin, Maryland and others.