Michigan Football trending up with ELITE wide receiver recruit
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Welcome to the Recruiting Roundup, our two-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…
Top 100 WR talks Michigan interest
Earlier in the offseason, Michigan landed a commitment from 2027 four-star wide receiver Quentin Burrell out of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. Now, the Wolverines are hoping to land another wide receiver from the same school: 2028 four-star Marshaun Thornton.
“He’s going to come to Michigan because he knows he’s going to hang out with us,” Burrell told On3’s Ethan McDowell ($).
Both Burrell and Thornton are top receivers in their respective classes. Burrell is the No. 99 player in the 2027 class, and Thornton is the No. 187 player in the 2028 class, according to Rivals’ Industry Rankings. Their teammate, 2027 four-star defensive back Tavares Harrington, is also committed to Michigan and recruiting Thornton hard.
“It’s probably the best fit for them, might not be the best fit for you,” Thornton said. “Just seeing them do what they always wanted to do, and me being like a younger brother for them, it’s great. I’m in the same boat. I’m just trying to take as much advice from them as I can. All the guys from Chicago, seeing them down there, it’sgood to catch up with them. They recruit me as well, all the Chicago guys.”
While Harrington and Burrell are confident they can sway Thornton to Ann Arbor, it is far from a done deal. Thornton is bonding with wide receivers coach Micah Simon, but things are still early.
“I like Coach Simon a lot,” he said. “A young coach, a cool coach. I was able to connect with him because he’s so young. He kind of feeds into the younger players, so I kind of like that.”
Landing Burrell was noteworthy for Michigan, as the team has struggled over the years to recruit the wide receiver position. This season will be big for the program in terms of showing 2028 receivers like Thornton that this is a place they should want to go.
Elite 2028 edge rusher eyeing game day visit
Another crucial target for Michigan in the 2028 class is four-star edge rusher Major Stokes, who currently attends Orem High School in Utah. Fall visits will be a major factor in his decision, and he is planning to visit the Wolverines in September.
“I’m still working on dates but I’m planning to visit USC, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama and Miami,” Stokes told Rivals’ Greg Biggins ($). “Nothing is set in stone yet but I’m working on those schools. I know I’ll most likely visit USC when they host Ohio State (Oct. 31) and Michigan when they play Oklahoma (Sept.12). I don’t have a date with Miami but I’m looking at one of their late season games.”
This fall won’t be Stokes’ first time in Ann Arbor. He was here in the spring, and it was a successful trip.
“I loved it there,” Stokes said. “That was my second visit, I went for a spring practice too so I’ve already seen a lot of the campus and the football facilities. I really love the coaching staff and Lewis Powell is more than a coach, he’s like a father figure. He was one of the first coaches to reach out to me when I was just in the eighth grade so I’m really comfortable with him.”
Michigan is in a good spot here, but it doesn’t sound like we will hear a decision anytime soon. Stokes said he wants to wait until after the upcoming high school season to make a decision. But when the time comes, the Wolverines should have a hat on the table.
At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, Stokes is ranked No. 62 overall on the Rivals Industry Rankings.
Michigan kicker commit shares high school eligibility update
Michigan landed a commitment from the No. 1 kicker in the 2028 recruiting class back in June in Ryan Jung. He previously attended IMG Academy, but moved to Milton, Georgia to be closer to home and to play for Milton High School this season.
Unfortunately, he was recently ruled ineligible because of his transfer and won’t be able to suit up this year.
“I was pretty shocked because I thought I was going to be going to be eligible because we followed all the rules,” Jung told On3’s McDowell ($). “According to the rules, we should be eligible.”
Before going to IMG, Jung lived in Tennessee. His family has now moved to Georgia, but that was not ruled a “family move,” which is why he is ineligible. He appealed the decision once, but was still ruled ineligible.
Fortunately for Jung, special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs and the rest of the coaching staff has been on his side during this battle.
“He was really supportive actually,” Jung said of Coombs. “He told me that he doesn’t think that this changes the way the coaching staff thinks about me and that he still knows I’m the best kicker. He just told me to just keep my head up, and I really appreciated that. That was really motivating.”
Jung plans to continue appealing the decision in hopes of playing this season.
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