The Michigan Wolverines fans must be looking to find the answer to one question: ‘Has Sherrone Moore lost his recruiting magic?’ After all, the debut coach had set high expectations by snagging the No.1 quarterback recruit of the 2025 class, Bryce Underwood, from LSU. But when it comes to their 2026 class, a lot of recruits have slipped through Sherrone Moore’s hands. The list of misses is quite long- four-star Deshonne Redeaux went to USC, Javian Osborne chose Notre Dame over Michigan, Javian Mallory went to Miami, and so on. With this, Moore refuses to hit the snooze button and is in alert mode 24×7. Now, when it’s about the 5-star of the 2027 class, he did not waste any time diving in. After all, Ryan Day and Ohio State have already planted their flag in the hot recruit’s heart.
When it’s about the nation’s top-rated defensive tackle, five-star 2027 Texas lineman Jalen Brewster, the college football programs are already losing their sleep. The young chap has already risen to the spotlight after officially accepting his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl. Only 100 football players receive the honor of wearing the Navy All-American Bowl jersey each year. Now, what is all the hype about Brewster? Well, he occasionally played running back for his high school and scored four rushing touchdowns last season, in Texas high school football, at 6-foot-3, 302 pounds. And Moore can’t afford to be late for the party as the young chap has already visited Oklahoma, Oregon, SMU, TCU, and Texas A&M. So, Moore, too, made a grand move, dishing out the offer.
#AGTG I am blessed to receive an offer from Michigan University @UMichFootball @UMichCoachEspo @TheCoachNWard @CoachGreedy @RecruitTheHill1 @TomLoy247 @247recruiting @On3sports @MikeRoach247 @samspiegs @ChadSimmons_ @CharlesPower @TFloss32 pic.twitter.com/SRdCY56sRV
— Jalen Brewster (@j8ylen_) June 9, 2025
On June 9, Brewster tweeted, “#AGTG I am blessed to receive an offer from Michigan University @UMichFootball @UMichCoachEspo @TheCoachNWard @CoachGreedy @RecruitTheHill1 @TomLoy247 @247recruiting @On3sports @MikeRoach247 @samspiegs @ChadSimmons_ @CharlesPower @TFloss32.” But guess who broke Moore’s sleep? Has to be Day. Now, come on, we all know about the good ol’ archrivals Michigan and Ohio State. Things got really dirty last year when the 2024 National Champions Buckeyes lost at the hands of the Wolverines, who could not even punch the playoff tickets. So, isn’t it obvious that this rivalry will also enter the recruiting trail?
The Buckeyes left a deep mark in Brewster’s heart as their efforts showed in his two-day trip. On the first day, he met the Buckeyes’ defensive line coach Larry Johnson, Day, and other members of the Buckeyes’ football staff and toured the team’s facilities and Columbus. The review? Heart-touching. Brewster noted, “The visit was great, I ain’t going to lie. I love how the culture is based off brotherhood and how you can’t do anything without your brothers. That’s how you win football games, is with your brothers. The culture and the family stand out, the players are all really tight with each other. Everyone feels like family.”
Moore must have thought that ‘this is the time’ when Brewster confidently said Ohio State is in the top two schools of his recruitment. While the Michigan head coach is chasing the 2027 recruit, Moore right now has too many things on his plate. He needs to clean them up first.
Michigan’s late start in 2026 recruiting leaves Sherrone Moore playing catch-up
When it comes to the 2026 roster buildup, the Michigan train is already running late. While USC has already snagged 27 recruits, Ohio State is running with 13 recruits, the Wolverines are at No.17 with only seven recruits. Michigan’s 2026 class has three 4-stars and four 3-stars. However, their luck for a 5-star recruit is yet to favor. Right now, someone has caught Moore’s attention. That’s none other than James Franklin’s former wide receiver commit, Jerquaden Guilford.
On June 5, On3 analyst EJ Holland tweeted, “Michigan is looking to make a move with former Penn State WR commit Jerquaden Guilford.” The three-star wide receiver from Northrop High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions in December 2024. However, it took him two months to walk back on his commitment. As usual, here too, Moore will have to prove himself as the best among Guilford’s other pursuers.
Guilford will be on the road, going from school to school throughout this month. The wide receiver has finished his official visit to Indiana. He will fly to Ann Arbor on June 6, then to Tennessee on June 13, and to Ohio State on June 20. Even though the wide receiver is tight-lipped about the frontrunner in this race, Holland spilled some inside scoop about how Sherrone Moore and co. poured in extra efforts in bond-making. “U-M wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy has done a great job of developing a relationship with him and those around him. We should have more clarity on where U-M stands after the visit.” Can Moore bottle the Underwood magic and make it a repeat recipe for success?
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