logo
Michigan football aims to flip Georgia's 2026 wide receiver during Ann Arbor visit

Michigan football aims to flip Georgia's 2026 wide receiver during Ann Arbor visit

USA Today30-05-2025
Michigan football aims to flip Georgia's 2026 wide receiver during Ann Arbor visit
Michigan football already has one commitment in 2026 from a high school north of Atlanta who appeared to prefer an SEC school. Now the Wolverines are working on snagging another from just nine miles away from the other.
It was something of a shock when the maize and blue were able to get a pledge from lifelong Alabama fan, four-star interior offensive lineman Bear McWhorter. McWhorter hails from White (Ga.) Cass, which is just nine miles from Cartersville -- the high school that produced Clemson standout Trevor Lawrence. Years removed from Lawrence's tenure, there's a four-star wide receiver committed to another SEC school that the Wolverines are working hard to flip.
Georgia-committed wideout set to visit Ann Arbor
Michigan is set to host official visitors for the annual spring-summer slate beginning on Friday, and On3's Ethan McDowell confirmed that the maize and blue are pulling something of a coup. 6-foot-1, 183-pound wide receiver Brady Marchese, from the aforementioned Cartersville, has been committed to Georgia since March, but it appears that he'll be on campus in Ann Arbor this weekend, starting on Saturday.
Marchese is rated highest by ESPN, which has him as the No. 62 player in the country and eighth-best wide receiver and player from the state of Georgia. He also plans to visit the Bulldogs and Florida officially.
Seeking wideouts in 2026
Michigan football already has one wide receiver committed in 2026 in Dallas (Tx.) Parish Episcopal three-star Jaylen Pile, who has been pledged to the Wolverines since fall 2024. But the maize and blue are targeting multiple other big names, with Miami (Fla.) Northwestern five-star Calvin Russell being the biggest target, but the maize and blue are also in a good spot with Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith four-star Travis Johnson, Mansfield (Tx.) four-star Zion Robinson, and Rochester (N.Y.) James Monroe four-star Messiah Hampton.
The Wolverines excelled at flipping targets last cycle -- particularly within the SEC -- with Bryce Underwood coming from LSU, Shamari Earls coming from Georgia, Nate Marshall coming from Auburn, and Ty Haywood coming from Alabama.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

No. 5 Georgia is looking for defense to reclaim standard set by 2021-22 national championship teams
No. 5 Georgia is looking for defense to reclaim standard set by 2021-22 national championship teams

San Francisco Chronicle​

time40 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

No. 5 Georgia is looking for defense to reclaim standard set by 2021-22 national championship teams

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Glenn Schumann says comparisons are not fair to Georgia teams of the past or present. Even so, the defensive coordinator isn't ducking the fact that the 2024 defense didn't meet the Georgia standard even while the Bulldogs won their third Southeastern Conference championship in the Kirby Smart era. Georgia's path to 11 wins, the SEC championship game victory over Texas and a spot in the College Football Playoff was filled with harrowing results by the defense. The defense produced three NFL first-round draft picks — Mykel Williams, Jalon Walker and Malaki Starks — despite giving up 41 points in a loss to Alabama and closing the regular season with a 44-42 win over Georgia Tech in eight overtimes. It's no coincidence that Georgia's back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 were built on defense under Smart, a former defensive coach. Georgia led the SEC in points and yards allowed in three consecutive seasons, beginning with the 2021 team that led the nation with 10.20 points allowed per game. The proud tradition of strong defenses slipped in 2024 when the Bulldogs fell to eighth in the league with 20.57 points and 329 yards allowed per game. 'You start rationalizing stats, then you're just making excuses for a performance that wasn't up to our standard,' Schumann said last week. 'The number one thing we need to do better in run defense is tackle better. In fact, we did not tackle to our standard last year.' Georgia, No. 5 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll released Monday, carries high expectations, including on defense. The belief the 2025 defense can return to its lead role may be at least partly based on the championship standard of units led by such players as Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Eric Stokes, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. 'Speaking of a defense, I think it really comes down to the little things,' said linebacker CJ Allen, expected to be a leader of the unit. 'Our whole theme and this message this whole offseason for the whole team has been fire, passion, energy. Playing with fire, passion, energy, being able to affect each other means a lot. Just coming out doing the little things.' Freshman defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, one of the top signees, has an opportunity to make an immediate impact. 'EG's doing great,' Schumann said. "You always want to temper expectations on young players, but he has a maturity to him, a work ethic to him. He's obviously a big guy with a lot of athleticism. So we hope that Elijah's able to help us this year. ... He's had a good start to camp.' Linebacker Raylen Wilson and safety KJ Bolden are other leaders of the defense. Smart said he is watching the defensive line, led by junior tackle Christen Miller, as a key to the emphasis on stopping the run. 'We need him to be a playmaker,' Smart said of Miller. 'We need him to be disruptive. We talk about habit, we talk about quickness, speed, experience. He's our most experienced player. He has taken on this role of knowing the burden lies with him to set a standard for that group.' Smart said the goal of stopping the run 'starts with that group. I mean, it's everybody, but it really starts with the defensive line, and what kind of mentality that room has. And so far, he has approached that the right way.' ___

No. 5 Georgia is looking for defense to reclaim standard set by 2021-22 national championship teams
No. 5 Georgia is looking for defense to reclaim standard set by 2021-22 national championship teams

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

No. 5 Georgia is looking for defense to reclaim standard set by 2021-22 national championship teams

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Glenn Schumann says comparisons are not fair to Georgia teams of the past or present. Even so, the defensive coordinator isn't ducking the fact that the 2024 defense didn't meet the Georgia standard even while the Bulldogs won their third Southeastern Conference championship in the Kirby Smart era. Georgia's path to 11 wins, the SEC championship game victory over Texas and a spot in the College Football Playoff was filled with harrowing results by the defense. The defense produced three NFL first-round draft picks — Mykel Williams, Jalon Walker and Malaki Starks — despite giving up 41 points in a loss to Alabama and closing the regular season with a 44-42 win over Georgia Tech in eight overtimes. It's no coincidence that Georgia's back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 were built on defense under Smart, a former defensive coach. Georgia led the SEC in points and yards allowed in three consecutive seasons, beginning with the 2021 team that led the nation with 10.20 points allowed per game. The proud tradition of strong defenses slipped in 2024 when the Bulldogs fell to eighth in the league with 20.57 points and 329 yards allowed per game. 'You start rationalizing stats, then you're just making excuses for a performance that wasn't up to our standard,' Schumann said last week. 'The number one thing we need to do better in run defense is tackle better. In fact, we did not tackle to our standard last year.' Georgia, No. 5 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll released Monday, carries high expectations, including on defense. The belief the 2025 defense can return to its lead role may be at least partly based on the championship standard of units led by such players as Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Eric Stokes, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. 'Speaking of a defense, I think it really comes down to the little things,' said linebacker CJ Allen, expected to be a leader of the unit. 'Our whole theme and this message this whole offseason for the whole team has been fire, passion, energy. Playing with fire, passion, energy, being able to affect each other means a lot. Just coming out doing the little things.' Freshman defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, one of the top signees, has an opportunity to make an immediate impact. 'EG's doing great,' Schumann said. "You always want to temper expectations on young players, but he has a maturity to him, a work ethic to him. He's obviously a big guy with a lot of athleticism. So we hope that Elijah's able to help us this year. ... He's had a good start to camp.' Linebacker Raylen Wilson and safety KJ Bolden are other leaders of the defense. Smart said he is watching the defensive line, led by junior tackle Christen Miller, as a key to the emphasis on stopping the run. 'We need him to be a playmaker,' Smart said of Miller. 'We need him to be disruptive. We talk about habit, we talk about quickness, speed, experience. He's our most experienced player. He has taken on this role of knowing the burden lies with him to set a standard for that group.' Smart said the goal of stopping the run 'starts with that group. I mean, it's everybody, but it really starts with the defensive line, and what kind of mentality that room has. And so far, he has approached that the right way.' ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store