Michigan football nets 4-star edge McHale Blade over Notre Dame in big recruiting weekend
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Four-star edge rusher McHale Blade from Chicago committed to Michigan football's 2026 recruiting class.
Blade chose Michigan over Notre Dame, Wisconsin, USC, Purdue, and several other prominent programs.
He is the eighth commitment in Michigan's 2026 class and the second-highest-rated prospect according to 247Sports Composite.
Well, that didn't take long.
Michigan football appeared to be in decent standing, but on the outside looking in, for one of its top targets, with Notre Dame being in the pole position for an elite prospect out of the Chicagoland area. But after hosting the second official visit weekend of the summer -- with some of the top prospects in the country -- the Wolverines didn't just surge in one recruitment; it took over. And got the commitment to boot.
With that in mind, the maize and blue entered the weekend with seven commitments. Who ended up being No. 8 for the maize and blue?
McHale Blade chooses Michigan football over Notre Dame
On3's Steve Wiltfong made the surprising flip of his prediction that 2026 Chicago (Ill.) Simeon four-star edge rusher McHale Blade would choose the Irish, switching it to Michigan on Monday morning. It didn't take long before the 6-foot-4, 245-pound edge rusher made it unofficially official, committing to Michigan football.
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While Notre Dame was his other finalist, he also showed interest in Wisconsin, USC, and Purdue. He also had offers from Florida, Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. He's rated highest by Rivals which has him as the No. 111 player in the country, regardless of position.
The current 2026 class
As noted, Blade is the eighth commitment of the 2026 class. He's the 169th-rated prospect and second-highest pledge according to the 247Sports Composite. Using these metrics, here is the class thus far:
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