Michigan is making early noise across the 2028 board, and a few of its biggest targets are already talking like Ann Arbor is a place they want to see in person.
Start with Caleb “Bonecrusher” Tucker, one of the Wolverines’ top defensive line priorities. The Chicago Mount Carmel standout, ranked No. 124 overall in the Rivals Industry Rankings for 2028, said Michigan will be included when he releases his Top 10 soon. The 6-foot-5, 355-pound defensive tackle pointed to his bond with defensive tackles coach Larry Black as a major reason the Wolverines have stayed in the picture.
“I love it,” Tucker tells On3’s Ethan McDowell ($). “Coach Black, that’s my guy. We chat it up every day.
“He’s straightforward. He’s a relationship guy, and he likes to stay in touch.”
Tucker still wants to get to Ann Arbor this fall, with a game-day visit at the top of his list. He said he wants to see the full experience for himself.
“I want to learn about the culture, the experience,” Tucker said. “I want to see how game days are and how players get prepped and ready for the game.”
Michigan is also pushing hard for Louisiana running back Caiden Bellard, and that relationship appears to be moving in the right direction. Bellard, a Lafayette Christian Academy standout ranked No. 786 overall and No. 61 among running backs in the Rivals Industry Rankings, said he plans to visit Ann Arbor this fall as his connection with Tony Alford keeps growing.
Bellard rushed for 1,532 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore last season, and he said Michigan has been one of the programs coming after him the hardest.
“Almost every day, we talk,” he told On3’s McDowell ($). “Definitely building a strong relationship with coach Alford and looking forward to getting up there for a game day to meet coaches in person and see what it’s really like up there in Michigan. They are definitely one of the top schools that’s recruiting me right now hard and [I am] ready to continue building the relationship with them and see where it goes!”
He also had plenty of praise for Alford’s approach.
“Everything I hear and have heard from him has all led me in ways of liking him more,” Bellard said. “The connection me and coach Alford is building is a relationship that can go very far in life.
He tells me that imma dog. Even though we not with each other everyday, he checks on me like we are.
He encourages me and helps me be a leader every day!”
Bellard already holds offers from Ohio State, Alabama and Miami, among others, but he sees a Michigan visit as the next step.
“That’s definitely a school I’m building a close relationship with right now and want to get up there and see how crazy it really get on a game day,” Bellard said. “Who knows, maybe one day I might be playing there. Why not get a first-hand view of it?”
Michigan is also getting involved early with a group of 2028 safeties. Braylen Bedford, the No. 45 overall prospect and No. 4 safety in the Rivals Industry Rankings, has Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky standing out most to him right now, according to On3’s McDowell ($). Drake Coellner, ranked No. 282 overall and No. 25 among safeties nationally, has already been to Ann Arbor multiple times and plans to come back for a game this fall.
The Wolverines are also in a strong position with several in-state names. Jayden Evans has already visited four times this year, while LaMarcus Army described his Michigan offer as a “dream come true.”
Marquis Ray, a Saline legacy, picked up his offer after an impressive camp showing in June. Michigan appears to be the early team to beat there, with one early prediction already in for the Wolverines to land him eventually.
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