Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore hype the student section during warm up before the USC game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Summer surge: Michigan named a top program on recruiting trail by Rivals during summer months

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Seth Berry | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 4:45 PM ET

Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines added a slew of verbal commitments to its class of 2026 to jump up to No. 11 in the Rivals Industry Recruiting Rankings after a successful summer. On top of that, the Wolverines also got a head start on their 2027 class with two recent commitments from offensive linemen Louis Esposito and Tristan Dare, adding to the summer wave of momentum that is currently with the program.

Rivals’ @Hayesfawcett3 ranks the top 10 biggest summer recruiting winners

Read: https://t.co/5SBJERyojy pic.twitter.com/y37hzdBdMc
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 6, 2025

For the Wolverines, it's a heat wave on the recruiting trail that they hope won't cool off anytime soon even as the fall months approach and recruits begin taking official visits to campus during the college football season. For now, though, the summer hot streak on the trail has paid off as Michigan was recognized by Rivals as being one of the biggest winners in the country in terms of the level of prospects the program has gained over the past few months.

"Michigan went on a crazy run this summer landing a total of 14 commitments. The most notable of them all was five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows, who chose the Wolverines over Ohio State and Penn State," Rivals' Hayes Fawcett wrote. "Coach Sherrone Moore and company built an elite defensive line class consisting of Meadows, Titan Davis, McHale Blade, Julian Walker, Alister Vallejo and Tariq Boney."

The Wolverines were the only Big Ten team to appear on the list, checking in at No. 8 out of 10 programs that were deemed "winners" on the recruiting trail during the summer months. Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks checked in at No. 1 on Rivals' list.

"The Oregon Ducks capped off a huge summer by landing five-star edge rusher Anthony Tank Jones over Alabama and Texas A&M.," Fawcett wrote about the Ducks. "They also secured five-stars Immanuel Iheanacho and Jett Washington. Other notable commitments include Rivals’ No. 1 cornerback Davon Benjamin Jr., athlete Jalen Lott and Messiah Hampton. Oregon also flipped several recruits, none bigger than Rivals’ No. 5 quarterback Bryson Beaver from Boise State."

The first day of the early signing period for college football begins on Dec. 4 as the Wolverines look to finish out the cycle on a high note in the coming months.