On3 RPM: Michigan leads for these 2026 recruits in aftermath of national championship win

Michigan is coming off its first outright national championship since 1948 and has hit the recruiting trail to capitalize off its reign in the college football world. Right now, the Wolverines are the leader for double-digit 2026 targets, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. 

The Wolverine closely examines the 10 prospects who are trending towards U-M.

Top 100 Safety Zech Fort, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy

On3 Industry Ranking: No. 15 Overall, No. 2 Safety, No. 2 in Florida
RPM: U-M (33.9%), Alabama (20.1%), Florida State (9.0%), Ohio State (7.5%),
The Skinny: Despite playing for a Florida juggernaut, Zech Fort visited Michigan three times last year, including for the game against Ohio State two months ago. With family in Metro Detroit, he’s gotten comfortable with the area. Fort’s also connecting well with safeties coach Jay Harbaugh, co-defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale, and Denard Robinson. The U-M assistants were at IMG Academy to meet with Fort and his offered teammates earlier this week to begin the January contact period.

Top 100 ATH CJ Sadler, Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech

On3 Industry Ranking: No. 20 Overall, No. 3 Wide Receiver, No. 1 in Michigan
RPM: U-M (91.9%), Michigan State (3.1%), Alabama (1.4%), Florida (1.2%)
The Skinny: CJ Sadler is the next must-land in-stater for Michigan in the 2026 recruiting class. Receiving an offer as an eighth grader, Sadler has been on three game-day visits at The Big House, and has close rostered player connections because of his association with SoundMind SoundBody.

Rising QB Quinn Murphy, Austin (Tex.) Regents School

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (69.8%), Baylor (5.6%), Houston (4.8%), SMU (4.0%),
The Skinny: Michigan quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell offered Quinn Murphy over the summer, the second Power 4 offer The Lone State signal-caller had gotten at the time. Murphy threw in front of Campbell at a U-M-hosted camp in June. Since then, they’ve established a bond.

Rising ATH Dominic Turnbull, Miami (Fla.) True North Classical Academy

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (62.4%), FIU (5.0%), Miami (4.3%), USF (3.5%)
The Skinny: Dominic Turnbull was offered by former Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge, citing the sophomore’s size and speed as to why the Wolverines were jumping in the mix. A month later, Turnbull visited campus. His father played six seasons professionally, including three years with the Las Vegas Locomotives.

Rising DB Marcello Vitti, Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (39.7%), Michigan State (17.8%), Penn State (15.3%), West Virginia (6.7%)
The Skinny: Marcello Vitti is being viewed in the same mold as Mike Sainristil at the nickel position. Vitti blew up on the recruiting trail last year, with Michigan being one of the first schools to enter the mix. Attending the same high school that graduated Aidan Hutchinson, Vitti’s most recent visit to Ann Arbor happened in early November for the Purdue game.

Rising WR Payton Cook, Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (44.1%), Pitt (20.2%), Kentucky (17.3%), Louisville (14.4%)
The Skinny: Payton Cook is one of three 2026 recruits from the Northeast Ohio powerhouse to yield a Michigan offer. They all made the drive to Ann Arbor in late November and saw U-M take down OSU. Clinkscale and wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy are leading the way with Cook, who was impressed with the performance of Roman Wilson in that rivalry win.

Rising OT Greg Patrick, Portage (Mich.) Northern

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (39.9%), Oklahoma (34.9%), Minnesota (15.7%), Western Michigan (1.2%)
The Skinny: Greg Patrick is a Michigan State legacy, but that’s not deterring him from remaining open in the process. Offensive line coach Sherrone Moore offered Patrick while the in-stater was visiting for the Rutgers game. It was the second time Patrick had been inside the facilities as he received a tour a few months prior and also got to meet Moore.

Rising ATH Cam Thomas, West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (50.0%), Cincinnati (22.9%), Georgia Tech (19.6%), Kentucky (1.5%)
The Skinny: Cam Thomas visited Michigan for the first time in late July for the annual BBQ at The Big House and left with Clinkscale offering him. Returning for the win over Purdue two months ago, Thomas said both experiences vaulted the Wolverines into his list of top schools.

Rising OL Khalief Canty, Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (62.4%), Michigan State (27.9%), Akron (1.1%)
The Skinny: Khalief Canty notched an early offer from Michigan and has since been to campus on four unofficial visits. All of them have come in the past year. Projected to play on the interior at the next level, Canty’s interest in the local school is rising because of a history of successful development of offensive linemen.

Rising ATH Jakob Weatherspoon, Avon (Ohio) High

On3 Industry Ranking: N/A
RPM: U-M (100%)
The Skinny: Jakob Weatherspoon has one Power 4 offer, and it’s from Michigan, which landed one of the freshman’s former teammates in 2024 offensive lineman Luke Hamilton, who was a catalyst in the coaching staff jumping on the radar of the former in the fall. Weatherspoon has visited Ann Arbor three times, including two game-day visits alongside Hamilton.