Michigan football's Savion Hiter poised for early impact, ESPN says

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When Sherrone Moore was ousted from Michigan football, and Kyle Whittingham was brought in, one of the biggest questions was if he would be able to retain the Wolverines' top recruit in the 2026 class, Mineral (Va.) Louisa County five-star running back Savion Hiter.

But retained Hiter was, and now, he appears to be off to the races in winter conditioning for an early spot high up the depth chart.

Hiter is seen as a generational running back, the top of the class, but perhaps the most plug-and-play player at the position in some time. He's not considered to be a signee who will take some time to develop — he's ready now.

Even so, there's some depth ahead of Hiter, with Jordan Marshall, Bryson Kuzdzal, and Micah Ka'apana returning. Still, his skillset is such that he should likely see time sooner than later, and can be an instant impact type of player — beyond even where Donovan Edwards was in 2021, playing behind Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum.

ESPN profiled many of the top signees in 2026 and spoke about how Hiter fits into the current Wolverines team. There's one place that ESPN says he needs to develop, but otherwise, it sees a ton of early potential waiting to be unleashed.

Hiter is a strong, upright runner and a true power back. He runs with his shoulders square to the hole, can push the pile and routinely shows contact balance, falling forward to squeeze out every inch. He's tailor-made for late-game four-minute situations when you're trying to hang on to a lead.

He's also more nimble-footed in the hole than you'd expect from a pure power back, slipping ankle tackles and staying clean in tight spaces. Hiter doesn't have a lot of experience in the passing game and must develop in that area to become a complete three-down option. He walks into a Michigan running back room that features three redshirt freshmen, so there's a realistic opportunity to make an early dent in the rotation.

If Michigan is going to be a physical, point-of-attack team under new coach Kyle Whittingham — something his track record suggests — Hiter can help set the tone between the tackles. We expect him to be in the mix for early carries.

Hiter wasn't actually ESPN's top running back in the class, though he was to both 247Sports and Rivals. Regardless, he will be in the mix and could likely emerge as the No. 2 back in record time if early reports end up proving accurate.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN: Michigan football's Savion Hiter ready to make an impact

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