Michigan spent this year doing something no other school in college athletics could match: putting players into all three of the major pro drafts.
Across the NFL Draft, NBA Draft and NHL Draft, the Wolverines had at least one name called in each. That made Michigan the only school to pull off the full sweep this year.
The NFL side brought volume more than headline-grabbing first-round buzz. Michigan did not land a first-round pick, but six Wolverines still came off the board between Rounds 2 and 7.
Derrick Moore went to the Detroit Lions at No. 44, Marlin Klein followed at No. 59 to the Houston Texans, and Jaishawn Barham landed with the Dallas Cowboys at No.
- Jimmy Rolder was taken by the Detroit Lions at No.
118, Max Bredeson went to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 159, and Rayshaun Benny rounded it out at No. 250 to the Baltimore Ravens.
The NBA Draft was even more eye-catching. Michigan had three players selected, and all three were taken in the top 12. Morez Johnson Jr. went No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks, Yaxel Lendeborg was picked No. 11 by the Golden State Warriors, and Aday Mara came off the board at No. 12 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NHL Draft completed the run. Michigan had three players selected there as well, with J.P.
Hurlbert going in the first round at No. 23 to the Detroit Red Wings. Adam Valentini was chosen in the third round at No. 96 by the Utah Mammoth, and Noah Kosick went in the sixth round at No. 192 to the Anaheim Ducks.
Barstool Michigan summed up the achievement this way on June 28, 2026: “Michigan is THE ONLY school in all of college athletics to have players selected in the each of this year’s NFL, NBA, and NHL drafts.”
Still, the year in Ann Arbor wasn’t all smooth sailing. Michigan’s biggest on-field and on-court triumph was the basketball National Championship, but that celebration was followed a few months later by Dusty May leaving. It was the second time in three years that Michigan lost a title-winning coach soon after bringing a championship back to Ann Arbor.
Football had its own mess, with Sherrone Moore quickly fired after another head coaching scandal. Kyle Whittingham is now in place in Ann Arbor, and the article says that move has worked out very well for the Wolverines.
On the ice, Michigan put together a strong season of its own. The Wolverines won another Big Ten title, rolled through the NCAA Tournament and reached the Frozen Four before falling to Denver in a double-overtime heartbreaker.
So while Michigan’s pipeline to the pros was as good as any school in the country this year, the larger picture was more uneven. The Wolverines produced draft picks everywhere, but the seasons behind those names carried plenty of turbulence along the way.
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Michigans latest recruiting surge brought in a pair of defenders who fit the programs identity in different ways, starting with four-star Cincinnati cornerback Monsanna Torbert. His commitment adds another talented piece to the secondary and gives the Wolverines a win on a board where relationships and fit clearly mattered, with Torbert pointing to the people around the program and the environment in Ann Arbor as major factors in his decision.
Weston Ports pledge adds another layer to the day, since the three-star linebacker had already been through a winding recruiting path before Michigan got involved. Alex Whittinghams outreach helped reopen the conversation, and the Wolverines saw enough in Port to keep pressing for a player they believe can help in the middle of the defense, leaving Michigan with a class that keeps trending in a direction fans will notice. [Read more 🡒]
Micah Simon Faces Huge Pressure To Fix Michigans Passing Game
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His first major assignments are already clear: helping Andrew Marsh clean up the details that separate good routes from dependable ones, while finding the best way to deploy JJ Buchanan, the Utah transfer with the size and flexibility to create problems in a few different spots. Simons track record suggests he can develop talent, but Michigan still has to see whether that experience translates quickly enough to give the passing game the lift it has been missing. [Read more 🡒]