Mike Boynton made the most of a massive Michigan football weekend, bringing two 2028 five-star recruits to Ann Arbor while the Wolverines were hosting Oklahoma.
The football side had the spotlight, of course, with Michigan knocking off No. 11 Oklahoma.
But the basketball program was working the scene too, and the timing couldn’t have been better. The 2025 National Championship team was honored at The Big House on Saturday, Dusty May was back in the mix, and the three first-round NBA Draft picks were part of the celebration.
That gave Boynton a loaded backdrop for his visitors.
One of those visitors was 2028 five-star center Dylan Betts, who was spotted with former Michigan big man Aday Mara. Betts, listed at 7-foot-3, somehow still looked even bigger in the photo, appearing an inch or two taller than Mara. Betts is still early in his recruiting process, but he’s already the No. 5 center in the country, and Boynton clearly isn’t waiting around to start building that relationship.
Betts wasn’t the only elite 2028 prospect on campus. Brady Pettigrew, a five-star guard, was also in Ann Arbor and spent time around Boynton and some of the former champs. Pettigrew also posed for photos in a Michigan uniform with Dallas Mavericks guard Morez Johnson Jr.
There’s been some buzz about whether Pettigrew could reclassify from 2028 to 2027, especially with the volume of visits he’s already lining up. Once 2028 prospects were allowed to take official visits, Pettigrew wasted no time putting together a long list that includes Michigan, Illinois, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, BYU, Ohio State, UNC and Kentucky.
If he does move up a class, Pettigrew would become the biggest name Boynton has to chase. He’s ranked as the No. 1 combo guard in the 2028 class, and he’d still project as a major prize in 2027.
Either way, Michigan gave both recruits a weekend worth remembering. Between the atmosphere in The Big House and the championship program on display, the Wolverines put on the kind of showcase that can stick with elite prospects.
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Michigan May Have Gained Real Recruiting Momentum After Beating Oklahoma
Michigans win over Oklahoma did more than improve the mood around the program. It also gave the staff a chance to put several high-profile visitors in the middle of the atmosphere, with five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and four-star prospects Nasir Richardson, Mekhi McNair, Asa Burch and Armani Strong among the recruits on hand. The setting mattered, and the reactions afterward suggested the day landed the way Michigan hoped it would.
The buzz extended beyond the field, too, with recruits and their families speaking positively about both the game-day environment and the broader feel around the program. Guerrant, who is currently committed to Oregon, is among the visitors now taking a harder look after the trip, which is the kind of momentum Michigan has been trying to build on the trail. The game provided a backdrop, but the real question is how far that visit can move things in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
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Michigan opens the season as a heavy favorite, but the spread alone will not make UTEP disappear. The Miners bring a few players who give this matchup some real shape, starting with quarterback EJ Colson Jr., who gives their offense a dual-threat element, and Kam Thomas, a versatile piece who can move around and create problems in different spots. Add running back Tavorus Jones to the mix and UTEP at least has enough skill talent to make the Wolverines stay alert early.
Defensively, the Miners also have a few names that could make the first game of the year feel less like a tune-up than Michigan would prefer. Linebacker Jayden Wilson has been one of the more active pieces on that side, while cornerback Justin Content brings the kind of coverage ability that can challenge timing throws. Michigan should still expect to control the game, but if UTEP is going to make it interesting at all, it will probably come through a handful of those individual matchups rather than a broad team upset push. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Turned Its Oklahoma Upset Into A Recruiting Statement
Michigans win over No. 11 Oklahoma did more than push the Wolverines back into the AP Top 25 at No. 19. It also gave the program a showcase moment in front of a packed recruiting audience, with multiple high-end prospects in the building to see the atmosphere, the performance and the kind of stage Michigan can still command when it lands a marquee nonconference win.
Kamden Lopati, Antijuan Wilkes Jr., Armani Strong and Dakota Guerrant were among the recruits who took in the game, and their presence only sharpened the stakes around a result that carried meaning beyond the standings. Kyle Whittingham pointed to the boost the win gave Michigan on the trail, and for a program trying to turn big-game momentum into future classes, this one had the feel of a night that could linger with visitors long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]