Michigan tight ends coach Grant Newsome talks to players at a timeout during the second half of U-M's 30-3 win on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Michigan Stadium. Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

Report: SEC school will push to flip Michigan offensive line commit

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Seth Berry | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 7:34 PM ET

During its sensational month of recruiting in June, one of the prospects Michigan football was able to reel in to commit to its class of 2026 was four-star offensive tackle Malaki Lee out of Hawaii. Offensive line coach Grant Newsome and the Wolverines staff were able to win the recruiting battle over other college football blue bloods such as Georgia, Texas, Alabama, USC and others.

While it was a great victory for Michigan on the recruiting trail, nothing is official until prospects begin signing their National Letters of Intent several months down the road, meaning there is still plenty of time for movement to be had with big time recruits such as Lee, even if they are committed to a program right now.

According to a report from Justin Wells from Inside Texas at On3 Sports, the Longhorns are expected to continue to pursue Lee as Steve Sarkisian's program is still looking for another elite tackle in their 2026 class.

"Malakai Lee (Michigan) and Zaden Krempin (Texas A&M) are at the top of the FLIP list"@justinwells2424 says Flip Season could come early for Texas fans pic.twitter.com/9Cf9Zq0BMi
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) July 14, 2025

"The Horns have to get another offensive tackle in this cycle, and they know it," Wells said. "They already have two—four-star John Turntine and under-the-radar, big-time prospect Max Wright —this kid's got a ton of potential. But they want another one. They only took one tackle in 2025, they've got to get another one. Malaki Lee and Zaden Krempin (Texas A&M) are at the top of that flip list. They would love to have either of those guys join the mix."

Wells added he believes the Longhorns were in a "great position with both" players back in the spring, but Texas being so zeroed in on Turntine and five-star Felix Ojo that it may have turned off a couple of the other big named tackles in the class of 2026.

The Wolverines currently have 21 verbal commitments in their class of 2026 and three offensive linemen, including Lee, Marky Walbridge and Bear McWhorter. Michigan's class currently ranks as the 9th-best in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

This article first appeared on Michigan Wolverines on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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