Michigan Football lands commitment from 2027 TE during Victor’s Weekend

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The smoke signal was sent out Sunday by Michigan assistant tight ends coach Ali’i Niumatalolo on social media that included an emoji of a mountain, implying the Wasatch Range in Utah.

U-M’s connections in The Bee Hive State are well documented, but the clue from Niumatalolo wasn’t a coincidence, considering the team had a tight end out of Utah on campus this weekend for an official visit.

After spending time in Ann Arbor for Victor’s Weekend, junior Christian Hanshaw announced his pledged to the Wolverines.

Eight targets took part in the festivities over a three-day period with Hanshaw, four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert, four-star safety Marcus Jones, four-star linebacker Frederrick Ford and others being pushed heavily to join the class. Hanshaw is the first among the group to shut down his recruitment, but there are rumblings more be following suit.

“I have the — this is what they say at least — I have the size and the athletic ability to possibly be a guy you could go out there and play on Saturdays and shoot my shot and hopefully try to play on Sundays like a lot of tight ends under Coach Whittingham have done,” Hanshaw told The Wolverine back in March.

Hanshaw hails from American Fork, less than a 20-minute drive north of Provo, and was offered by Michigan in February once the new coaching staff got settled in. He had been to U-M last year to camp, but the connections he had with Kyle Whittingham carried over from the latter’s tenure with the Utes.

Whittingham and Hanshaw have deep family ties as well as the tight end’s father played with the head coach at BYU.

“I’ve known him for a very, very long time,” Hanshaw also told The Wolverine. “He’s just a great dude. Not only is he a great dude, but he’s done amazing things with the tight ends at Utah, and he’s got the same offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Michigan. Now he’s just on the biggest stage in the country.”

Hanshaw finished with 27 catches for 356 yards and two touchdowns last season. He chose Michigan over UCLA, USC, Florida, Illinois, the two Big 12 teams in Utah, and more.

Even though he’s a 2027 recruit, he should be considered a member of the 2029 class due to his pending two-year mission trip.

At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Hanshaw is listed as the No. 29 overall tight end in the country and the No. 5 recruit in Utah this cycle, according to Rivals.

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