4-star CB recruit from Ohio reveals why he chose Michigan over OSU

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Welcome to the Recruiting Roundup, our three-times-per-week series breaking down the latest developments on the recruiting trail for the Michigan Wolverines. We’ll keep you up to date on the top targets, the visits they take, the predictions that analysts make, and everything in between. Here’s what you need to know today…

Michigan lands four-star CB from Ohio over Ohio State

The Michigan Wolverines made a big splash in the 2027 class on Wednesday, earning a commitment from four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert. The best part? He’s from Cincinnati, and Ohio State was recruiting him hard.

Any Ohio recruit that picks another school over Ohio State is likely challenging, but picking the Wolverines is probably even harder. But as Torbert eloquently put it, after having some discussions with current and former Michigan players who are also from Ohio, it wasn’t all that tough.

“Talking to other Ohio guys about Michigan, they just spoke so highly,” Torbert told 247Sports’ Tom Loy ($). “Coach Coombs, coach Black, Jordan Marshall, Rod Moore, Charles Woodson Sr., and Aden Reeder. Building a relationship with Charles Woodson Sr. has been huge. He is a great role model and one of the best defensive backs to ever play. Great players to learn from, with him being around the program a lot.”

Having those conversations made things easier for Torbert, but there were other factors that led to his decision.

“I chose Michigan because, from the moment I stepped in the building, it felt like home,” Torbert added. “It is the people who make the place. All of the staff and recruiting staff had open arms to my family. My mom never tells me that school feels like home, but she said that about Michigan, so I knew it was different. Also, Michigan’s new defensive staff is a group of defensive gurus. They cause havoc and turnovers on the backend.

“Coach Whittingham is a really big family guy. Having his son and brother on the staff shows how important family is to him. My family is my why. Also, I’m excited to play for Coach Whittingham because his game preparation is like no other. He is ready to attack the game like he is playing alongside the players.”

It’s always fun to take Ohio recruits and bring them to Michigan, and Torbert wants to help make that happen more. He is going to be recruiting his younger brother, Sean, in the 2028 class, as well as 2028 four-star wide receiver Lorenzo McMullen Jr.

Weston Port’s unique Michigan commitment story

The Wolverines also picked up a commitment from 2025/2027 three-star linebacker Weston Port this week, and his recruiting journey is a wild one.

Port was originally recruited by Jim Harbaugh when he was in high school, but he ended up signing with UCLA in Dec. 2024. However, Port never joined the Bruins, as he is still serving a two-year mission trip in Spain and the Canary Islands. He decommitted from UCLA in May, and Michigan linebackers coach Alex Whittingham reached out to Weston’s dad, Barry, who is running his son’s social media while he is on his trip.

“Out of the blue last week, Alex texted me and he said, ‘Hey, listen, any chance I can get on a call with Wes?’ Luckily, his mission leader is letting him do those during the evenings when he got home at 10 o’clock his time he was allowing him to do some Zoom calls,” Barry told Rivals’ Adam Gorney ($).

“He’s done a couple dozen of those and we got him on with Alex and Alex gave him the pitch. He said, ‘I’m looking for a solid, strong middle linebacker, someone who’s good at run defense and someone who could go downhill and make plays in the backfield.’ He said, ‘There are three or four guys we’re looking at but you really fit the bill for us.’”

For Weston, committing to Michigan is a dream come true, as he has always wanted to play his college football in the Big Ten.

“Now it’s even better than it was before,” Barry said. “They’re still a blue-blood and they have an amazing, proven head coach and a linebacker coach who spent eight years in the NFL under Andy Reid.”

Weston will enroll at Michigan in January.

Four-star LB raves about Michigan coaches

Brayton Feister, a four-star athlete in the 2027 class, was a priority target for Michigan before he started to shift his attention to other schools. The Wolverines won’t get a commitment from him, but Brayton’s younger brother, 2028 four-star linebacker Brydon Feister, could be a different story.

“Michigan, the new coaching staff, this is like their third coaching staff, but the Utah coaching staff, we love them guys,” the younger Feister told On3’s Ethan McDowell ($). “They’ve showed up to our house twice now, I think. Showed up for dinner, had a nice dinner with them. We really liked them guys.”

“We love Michigan. We love their facilities and everything. We would just have to get to know the coaching staff better.”

Michigan is one of the biggest brands in college football, and that alone is a powerful recruiting tool. Feister knows going to Michigan would help him throughout life.

“Anybody that went there still comes back to this day,” Brydon said. “Even the big NFL guys, they come in. Every time we’ve been there for a game day visit, they had an NFL guy, Pro Bowler or Hall of Famer or somebody come in and talk to everybody…Michigan has a lot of connections. I love that.”

Since Brydon is a 2028 recruit, there is likely a long time before he makes a decision. Still, Michigan appears to have positioned itself nicely.

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