Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Michigan Football predicted to lose recruiting battle, but could it mean good news?

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Chris Breiler | Last updated Apr 4, 2025 1:23 PM ET

The Michigan Wolverines are in a heated recruiting battle with Notre Dame for one of the nations top 2026 running back prospects. But it looks like the Wolverines could be losing that battle to the Fighting Irish, as On3's Steve Wiltfong recently logged a prediction in favor of Notre Dame.

The battle is over four-star running back Javian Osborne. According to On3, Osborne is ranked as the No. 8 overall running back prospect in the country and the No. 14 overall prospect from the state of Texas.

On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Notre Dame to land 4-star RB Javian Osborne☘️

Read: https://t.co/2A1xbMVeLp pic.twitter.com/5EulYY6Awf
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) April 4, 2025

And while you never want to lose a recruiting battle to anyone (especially Notre Dame), losing out on Osborne could signal some potentially good news for Michigan.

The Wolverines are also in the mix for the No. 1 ranked running back in the 2026 class, Savion Hiter. Back in February, Hiter listed Michigan in his final four, a list that also includes Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas. He plans to visit all of his top schools over the summer, including a stop in Ann Arbor from June 13-15.

BREAKING: Elite 2026 RB Savion Hiter is down to 4️⃣ Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The No. 1 RB in ‘26 has locked in OVs to each of his finalists:

• Ohio State- May 30-June 1
• Georgia- June 6-8
• Michigan- June 13-15
• Tennessee- June 19-22https://t.co/VKtLd1LZEN pic.twitter.com/KdXp8DjkTd
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 16, 2025

As of this writing, On3's prediction is currently favoring Georgia (28%) and Ohio State (21%) as the two programs to land Hiter. But as we've seen in recent months, the Michigan Wolverines are more than capable of competing with anyone on the recruiting trail, particularly when it comes to NIL resources.

If the Wolverines are all-in on Hiter, expect to see Michigan making a big push for the five-star RB when he arrives on campus this summer.

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

More must-reads: