Michigan Wolverines find their next Mason Graham as Sherrone Moore continues building up 2026 recruiting class

Alister Vallejo quickly rose this spring from relative unknown in the recruiting community to highly touted four star talent, and his ascent up the industry consensus rankings might not be done yet. At 6'3", 310 pounds, Alister Vallejo moves much more fluidly than expected with explosiveness to control entire defensive fronts. He and Mason Graham have a lot in common in terms of both their measurements and play style.

Just like Graham, he was overlooked by many in the recruiting community initially, but he clearly added some weight and power this past year. He barely had any power conference offers until January of this year, but even with his commitment to Michigan many more offers are likely to flow in if he takes yet another step forward in his development this fall.

Now that Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are gone there's going to be some questions very soon about who anchors the Michigan defensive line, so landing a crucial recruit like this is huge for Sherrone Moore and company. Yes, Rayshaun Benny should fill the gap in 2025, but even he'll be gone after this upcoming season.

Michigan fans should expect to see the Wolverines staff continue to build around Alister Vallejo as the anchor of the defensive future in Ann Arbor. If Sherrone Moore and his staff can maintain their recent momentum Michigan's defense should look fairly stacked again soon.

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Our own A to Z Film Room just broke down Alister Vallejo in detail. If you want to learn more about him and how he compares to Mason Graham for Michigan just check out the video below!