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Bear McWhorter commits to Michigan over childhood favorite Alabama

On3 imageby:Ethan McDowell•about 24 hours•

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bear mcwhorter
Bear McWhorter and Grant Newsome. (Photo courtesy of McWhorter's Instagram)

Michigan landed its first offensive line pledge of the 2026 class Friday afternoon when it surprised the recruiting world by landing Bear McWhorter’s commitment. The lifelong Alabama fan’s recruitment picked the Wolverines over the Crimson Tide. 

After visiting the top priority interior offensive lineman twice in January— once at his home and again at Cartersville (Ga.) Cass High— and hosting him on an unofficial visit, Michigan put the finishing touches on his recruitment over the past few weeks. 

Offensive line coach Grant Newsome led this effort as his primary recruiter, building an extremely strong connection with McWhorter and the 6-3, 308-pound lineman’s family. Head coach Sherrone Moore also played a significant role. 

“They’re genuine, great people,” McWhorter said. “Hanging out with them, seeing what they do, listening to them talk, there’s nothing fake about them.”

The lineman’s parents named him after legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant. McWhorter’s family roots for the Crimson Tide and took him to games as a kid. According to his father Josh McWhorter, Alabama was Bear’s dream school growing up. Michigan’s newest commit and his family still kept an open mind while going through the process.

He picked Michigan instead of Alabama— the trending team in his recruitment ever since he dropped his announcement date. Florida, South Carolina and Clemson were also finalists for the mauling offensive lineman who holds 31 Power Four offers. He projects as a guard at the next level with the versatility to play center as well.

McWhorter committed to Arkansas early in his recruitment before opening things back up last year. Both the Crimson Tide and Wolverines made him a clear priority in recent months. Michigan offered him last summer.

The three-star Wolverine commit has been a national recruit since his freshman year. He did not need to take any spring or official visits before making a final call. McWhorter was ready to make an early decision and begin playing a key role in helping a class come together. 

“I think I’ve seen everything I need to see on visits and stuff like that, so I think, eventually, I’ll just feel something in my heart and know this is where I’m supposed to be at,” McWhorter said right before dropping his commitment date.

He visited Ann Arbor four times, most recently stopping by in January to meet with Moore and hang out with some of the current players. McWhorter really clicked with the Wolverine locker room and spent a lot of time talking to early enrollee offensive lineman Avery Gach. 

“It was just a good experience, seeing I could hang out with these guys every day and play with these guys, and I would enjoy it here,” McWhorter said. 

McWhorter is the No. 415 recruit in the country and the No. 38 interior offensive lineman nationally. He joins On300 cornerback Brody Jennings and three-star wide receiver Jaylen Pile as the third commit in Michigan’s 2026 class. 

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