Recruiting Roundup: Michigan trying to flip player committed to ACC team

Recruiting Roundup: Michigan trying to flip player committed to ACC team

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Recruiting Roundup: Michigan trying to flip player committed to ACC team
Michigan wide receiver Kendrick Bell (12) celebrates a play against Michigan State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Wolverines are getting closer and closer to hosting prospects for official visits, with the first batch of recruits set to invade Ann Arbor the weekend of May 29. But the coaching staff continues to put out new offers in an attempt to build the best recruiting class possible, including an offer that came last week for a wideout committed to a team in the ACC.

Four-star WR was ‘shocked’ when he received his Michigan offer

2027 four-star wide receiver Chuck Alexander has been committed to Louisville since November, but Michigan clearly doesn’t care about that. Special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs extended an offer to the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder from Cincinnati, Ohio last week, instantly vaulting Michigan up his top list of schools.

“Coach Coombs told me that I had an offer and I was shocked, but proud and excited with myself,” Alexander recently told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($). “(The Michigan offer means) to just keep putting my faith in God and I just got to work harder than I ever been working.”

There’s no denying Michigan is a better program than Louisville, but Alexander said he remains committed to the Cardinals at the moment even though “I’m interested in (Michigan) a lot.” He also said “maybe” when asked if he will take a trip to Michigan, adding that, “right now, I’m still thinking on it.”

Alexander also has offers from schools like South Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Cincinnati and others. He also took a spring visit to Ohio State, although he was not offered by the Buckeyes.

In-state RB target discusses Michigan interest

Tony Alford has cast a wide net at the running back position in the 2027 class, but one of the fastest-rising targets on the Wolverines’ board is in-state three-star Lundon Hampton. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Grand Rapids native earned his offer recently and he took a couple trips to Ann Arbor this spring.

The vibes are very high in this recruitment, as there are few predictions in favor of the Wolverines to eventually land his commitment.

“Michigan is definitely a great program,” Hampton told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong ($). “I like their culture, the way they develop players, and how they compete at a high level every year.”

A big reason for his high interest in the Wolverines is the new coaching staff.

“The coaching staff has been real with me and I’ve built a good relationship with them,” Hampton said. “I feel like it could be a good fit because of how they use their players and prepare them for the next level.”

Despite having those aforementioned Michigan predictions, Hampton is keeping an open mind to other schools. Other options for him include Michigan State, Iowa, Kentucky and Kansas, per Wiltfong. He also has offers from Penn State and Pitt, among others.

“I’m still keeping my options open and focused on finding the best situation for me,” Hampton said.

Michigan making elite in-state edge rusher feel like a priority

Shifting gears to the 2028 class, and the Wolverines are prioritizing a ton of local talent in that cycle as well. One of the stars of the Mitten State in the junior class is four-star edge rusher Jayden Bell. The Brother Rice High School standout is a Top 100 overall prospect and is a Top 5 player in the state in his class and 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. He was offered by the Wolverines a couple months ago and most recently visited this spring.

In a recent conversation with On3’s Ethan McDowell ($), Bell said he is “very interested” in Michigan thanks to the bond he has made with the coaching staff, particularly defensive tackles coach Larry Black, which goes back to his days in the SEC.

“(Getting the offer) meant a lot,” Bell said. “With coach Black, he just got there from Vanderbilt, so like two weeks before he got there, I went and checked out Vanderbilt, so it was kind of crazy how that worked out.

“When he got to Michigan, I just stopped by. He was just like, ‘Yeah, I want to re-offer you because you’re a guy I want,’ so it was great.”

Michigan is “definitely” making Bell feel like a priority, and the coaches want him to visit again soon.

“They’ve been trying to get me down back on campus,” Bell said. “I for sure got to go back up there a couple times.”

Bell already holds other offers from Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama, Penn State, Indiana, Florida, Oregon, Wisconsin, Miami and many more.

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