5-star RB Savion Hiter explains why he committed to Michigan Football

The Michigan Wolverines scored big on the recruiting trail yesterday when they added five-star running back Savion Hiter to their 2026 class. He is an elite prospect with a sky-high ceiling that will have a chance to play significant minutes early in his career.

Hiter explains commitment decision

The 5-foot-11.5, 200-pounder from Mineral, Virginia is now Michigan’s top ranked player in the class, checking in at No. 9 overall. He chose the Wolverines over his other three finalists — Tennessee, Ohio State and Georgia. With offers from the nation’s best college football teams, he explained on the Rivals livestream what made Ann Arbor the right place for him.

“The culture,” Hiter said. “The culture there is so much different there than any other school. It feels like a blessing to be there. Every time I’m up there, it feels like family.

“It feels great. It feels way better to have this recruiting process over.”

Hiter also cited his relationship with running backs coach Tony Alford as a major reason for him choosing Michigan.

“His resume is crazy,” Hiter said. “From teaching little running backs to big running backs like Ezekiel Elliott and all that, it feels great to have the chance to be coached by him.”

Finally, Hiter — who is excited to be at Michigan since “they run the ball a lot” — admitted one of his main goals as a freshman is to be a leader on the team.

“I feel like I need to be a leader, like the biggest leader on the team, even from my freshman year,” Hiter said. “That’s my ultimate goal. And obviously, getting an academic scholarship, like my master’s (degree) or something like that.”

Hiter is the second running back to commit to Michigan’s 2026 class, joining three-star Jonathan Brown.

Four-star WR commit thinks Bryce Underwood will have a monster freshman year

One of Hiter’s future teammates believes Michigan’s likely starting quarterback — Bryce Underwood — is in for one hell of a true freshman season. Speaking with On3’s Holland ($), 2026 four-star wide receiver commit Zion Robinson thinks quite highly of Underwood and that he could make a Jeremiah Smith-like impact this fall.

“I saw him a little bit at the photoshoot (on the official visit),” Robinson said. “He’s way bigger than I expected. He’s a big kid. I expect him to do what the No. 1 player in the country does. We saw what Jeremiah Smith did last year. I believe he can do the same thing. Obviously, they play different positions, but I expect him to have the same type of impact for Michigan.”

Robinson, who committed to Michigan last month, is also eager to see what the new offense will look like this season under new coordinator Chip Lindsey.

“(Lindsey) told me straight up, ‘We’re obviously going to be throwing the ball a lot more.’ It’s Michigan, so obviously they are going to be running the ball. But he said ‘we are going to be throwing the ball way more than we have been, especially with the No. 1 quarterback in the country, Bryce Underwood.’ You just have to. You can’t just run the ball with the No. 1 quarterback (laughs).”

Holland also noted that Robinson is aiming to attend a game in Ann Arbor this fall and that he will also be enrolling early in January.

Younger brother of Wolverines edge rusher has Michigan as his top school

Among the top targets at edge in the 2027 class is three-star Jaxon Holly, the younger brother of Michigan edge rusher Julius Holly. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder from Alpharetta, Georgia has had an offer from Michigan for quite some time now and has always appreciated how his recruitment was totally separate from his brother’s. That personalized recruiting approach by head coach Sherrone Moore and defensive line coach Lou Esposito continues to this day.

“When (Moore and I are) on the phone, we’re always laughing it up, just talking about everything we’re doing, always talking about how it’s all me, not my brother anymore,” Holly said. “It’s all about me, so I feel great about that and just love when he calls.

“Since (Esposito) met Julius, he talked to me the same way. It’s always been like that, just all love.”

The coaching staff speaks with him at least once a week over the phone, but they’ll have the opportunity to get some face time next week when Holly visits for the New Mexico game. He was also in Ann Arbor this summer for a camp. All these return trips and phone calls has Michigan at the very top of his list at the moment.

“Probably number one as of right now…It just feels like home right now,” Holly said. “I’ll just take it slow, see what happens, but they’re definitely up there very high.”

Holly has other offers from Ole Miss, Baylor, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Rutgers and more.

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