Michigan Football’s way-too-early top targets for 2027 recruiting class

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The Michigan Wolverines put together another solid recruiting class in the 2026 cycle, and now all attention shifts to the 2027 class.

There are already four players committed to Michigan’s 2027 class: four-star quarterback Peter Bourque, four-star edge rusher Recarder Kitchen, and three-star offensive linemen Tristan Dare and Louis Esposito. The class is far from done, and there is plenty of work for Sherrone Moore and company have to do.

Here are some of Michigan’s early top targets for the 2027 cycle.

Quick disclaimer — I am only going to limit each position to a couple recruits. I could be here all day writing about top targets, so I’ll only include the biggest, most tippy top targets for you.

QB: N/A

Michigan will only take one quarterback (Bourque) in this class after taking two in 2026. Nothing to see here!

RB: Four-stars Noah Roberts and Tranard Roberts

Despite the same last name, these two guys are not related.

The most likely as of now to eventually join Michigan’s class is Tranard Roberts, a 5-foot-11.5, 195-pounder from the state of Florida. He released his top list in October and told Rivals’s Hayes Fawcett ($) that Michigan was “setting the pace” in his recruitment. The others in his top list include Tennessee, Ohio State, Auburn and Miami. He just visited last month for the Ohio State game.

“Michigan combines strong academics, school spirit, and real opportunities for growth,” he said. “I’m drawn to its balance of challenge and community, and I know it’s a place where I could thrive and become a leader.”

But Noah Roberts would be a quality addition as well at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. The Arizona native is a fringe Top-100 overall player and has offers from all across the country. He visited for the spring game this year and returned for the game against Purdue. Two visits in one calendar year goes to show his legitimate interest in the program as well.

WR: Four-stars Quinten Burrell and Dakota Guerrant

The Wolverines are in on numerous wideouts in this class — including five-star Monshun Sales — but these two are top targets and are both realistic candidates to join Michigan’s class.

Starting with Guerrant — the Top-50 overall prospect is from Harper Woods and has been to Michigan for recruiting visits on numerous occasions already, including for multiple game days this season. Schools like Ohio State, Texas A&M, Penn State and others are also serious contenders.

As for Burrell, he is also a Top-50 prospect and has been to Ann Arbor a couple times this fall as well. His sister is on the U-M women’s soccer team, will surely doesn’t hurt the Wolverines’ chances of eventually landing him. Notre Dame is by far Michigan’s biggest rival in this recruitment, with the Irish holding some early predictions in their favor.

TE: Four-stars Cooper Terwilliger and Anthony Cartwright

If there is any single prospect that I would predict to join Michigan’s 2027 class next, it would be Cartwright. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder from Detroit Country Day has been a longtime top target for Steve Casula. He visited a couple times this fall, including for the Purdue game and the Ohio State game. Other schools to monitor include Ohio State, Oregon, LSU, Miami and Alabama, to name a few.

Terwilliger is a really good prospect in his own right at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. The South Dakota native has a top list of Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa and Iowa State. He also garnered offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Georgia and others. He was just in town for The Game.

OT: Four-star Jakari Lipsey, four-star Elijah Hutcheson

With the Wolverines likely done on the interior of the offensive line with both Dare and Esposito committed, Grant Newsome and Sherrone Moore can focus on the tackle spots in 2027.

Starting with Lipsey, another homegrown kid from Kalamazoo. The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder was offered by the Wolverines back in September and took a visit for the Central Michigan game just one week later. Other significant offers include Auburn, North Carolina, Kansas and Cincinnati. He told 247Sports, “I’ve always loved (Michigan) since I was a kid,” which is kinda funny because he is still very much a kid, but still awesome that he grew up rooting for them.

Hutcheson, meanwhile, is a Top-100 overall prospect and hails from the state of Georgia. At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, he holds other offers from Ohio State, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Penn State and others.

”Had a fantastic time this weekend, learned a lot about the program and can’t wait to be back as soon as possible,“ he told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong ($) after visiting for The Game last month.

DL: Five-star Marcus Fakatou

At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, Fakatou is one of the more physically imposing defensive linemen in the entire class. He just took a visit for the Ohio State game, but this one is admittedly a long shot — Notre Dame has the lone Crystal Ball as of right now, and he holds other offers from the best of the best in college football. I’m not saying Michigan doesn’t have a shot, but temper any expectations.

There aren’t any other clear cut top targets at the moment, so this will certainly be a position to monitor as Lou Esposito and company search for players along the interior of the defensive line moving forward.

Edge: Four-star edge Myles Smith, three-star edge Jaxon Holly

Two of Michigan’s top targets at the edge position should be familiar to fans if you follow recruiting well enough. Holly is the younger brother of current Michigan edge rusher Julius Holly, but Lou Esposito isn’t recruiting him just because of the family ties. The Wolverines are giving Jaxon the individual recruitment each prospect deserves and isn’t going after him for the sole reason to pair him up with his brother. The Georgia native holds other offers from Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and more.

Meanwhile, Smith’s recruitment recently took off after earning an offer from Michigan during a visit for the Purdue game. Since then, he went from an unranked prospect on the 247Sports composite to a Top-200 four-star. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder from Farmington, Michigan also has offers from Indiana, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Missouri, Iowa State and others.

LB: Four-star Brayton Feister, three-star Blake Betton

Feister was offered by the Wolverines back in April, which is right around the same time he got offered by a few other big time programs in Oregon, USC, Washington and Penn State. He visited for the Purdue game and told 247Sports the Wolverines “stand high” in his recruitment after that trip. Notably, the Akron, Ohio native does not hold an offer from the Buckeyes.

Betton (6-foot-2, 200) is a Minnesota native and holds an offer from the hometown Golden Gophers, but Michigan may be the school he is most excited about ever since getting offered in August. He visited for the Wisconsin and Ohio State games this season.

“The visit definitely moved up them up the list for sure,” Betton told 247Sports ($). “The entire visit and game day atmosphere was impressive. Learned a lot about how much they care about you as a person and the emphasis they place on tradition, character development and championship culture.”

Secondary: Four-star CB Tavares Harrington, four-star S Myles Baker, Three-star S Charles Woodson Jr.,

If LaMar Morgan could build a cornerback in a lab, it might be Harrington. At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, the Chicago native is the long, rangy corner that the Wolverines love to go after on the recruiting trail. He was supposed to visit for the Wisconsin game, but was unable to due to it being a noon game and having other things going on, he told 247Sports ($) at the time. The Top-150 overall recruit was never able to get to Ann Arbor this fall for a game, so we’ll have to see if he is able to visit this winter and/or spring instead.

Much like Cartwright, it may be a matter of time before Baker pledges to the Wolverines. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound California product has been very high on Michigan since earning his offer back in the spring. He visited for the Ohio State game and raved about his time in Ann Arbor. It wouldn’t be surprising to eventually see Baker commit to Michigan.

Of course Charles Woodson’s son has to be a top target, right? The younger Woodson earned his offer from LaMar Morgan over the summer and visited as a recruit for the first time for the Wisconsin game. He’s also got offers from the likes of Baylor, Florida State, Ole Miss, Iowa State, Kentucky and more.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos