Michigan’s 2028 recruiting board is starting to take shape, and a familiar last name is already in the conversation.
Carson Graham, the younger brother of former Michigan All-American defensive tackle Mason Graham, is hoping the Wolverines eventually come through with an offer. Michigan has not offered yet, but the 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive lineman is clearly paying attention. Graham is ranked No. 707 overall and No. 69 among defensive linemen in the Rivals Industry Rankings, and he already holds offers from USC, Hawaii and San Diego State.
For now, he says he’s staying patient.
“I’m not leaning one way or the other yet,” Graham recently told Rivals’ Brandon Huffman ($). “I’m just getting ready for the season. I’m hoping to have a great year and hopefully some other opportunities come.”
So far, Graham’s only visit has been to Hawaii, simply because it was close by. He’s also interested in UCLA and took in Washington while attending camps in June.
Even with the early attention, he’s not rushing the process. If Michigan decides to jump in, the Wolverines would immediately be in a strong position.
Another 2028 name Michigan is tracking is Ohio athlete Cartae Ligon, and he’s already looking at a return trip to Ann Arbor. The four-star prospect is ranked No. 159 overall and No. 6 in Ohio after a huge sophomore season that saw him run for 2,130 yards and 25 touchdowns. He visited Michigan this spring, and one thing that stands out for him is his connection with running backs coach Tony Alford.
“I have been building a great relationship with coach Alford at Michigan,” Ligon told Rivals’ Allen Trieu ($).
Ligon is also hoping to visit Minnesota, Miami, Indiana, Virginia Tech and NC State this fall.
Michigan is also in the mix for another rising running back, Xander Edwards, who plans to be in Ann Arbor for a game this fall after picking up an offer from the Wolverines last month. Edwards is ranked No. 108 overall and No. 6 at running back in the country, and the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Jacksonville, Florida standout has surged after rushing for 2,629 yards and 44 touchdowns while averaging 9.9 yards per carry as a sophomore in 2025.
Notre Dame, Miami and several other national powers are also involved, but Michigan’s early traction comes from the same place as Ligon’s: Alford.
“I love coach Alford already,” Edwards told On3’s Ethan McDowell ($). “We’ve been talking quite a bit recently, and I’m excited to build his relationship, and I’m definitely going to be up at a game this fall.”
Edwards also said Alford sees him fitting neatly into Michigan’s offensive style.
“(Alford) said that I fit into their offense really well,” Edwards said. “He likes the bigger-type backs that can run you over because they have a lot of duo, gap scheme, just smash mouth football downhill, which is my favorite type of football to play.”
In Other News...
Michigan Cannot Let This 2028 Receiver Slip Further South
Michigan has a familiar angle in the chase for Jarvis Stevenson, and it is one that can matter with a prospect this early in the process. The 6-foot-5 dual-sport athlete out of John Curtis Christian School in New Orleans has roots in Grand Rapids, giving the Wolverines a built-in hometown connection as they try to keep him from drifting deeper into SEC territory. Michigan identified him early and put a scholarship on the table while he was still beginning to build his profile, which at least gives the Wolverines a foothold in a recruitment that already has plenty of national attention.
The challenge now is holding that position against the usual heavyweight crowd. LSU, Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and Alabama are all in the mix, and for Michigan the pitch has to be about more than geography alone. The Wolverines will need to lean into how Stevenson could fit their offense and why Ann Arbor offers a different path than the one being laid out by the schools farther south, because once a receiver with his size and upside becomes a priority for that many programs, the race tends to move quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Be Building Something Dangerous In Ohio
Michigans new staff under Kyle Whittingham is wasting little time treating Ohio like a priority territory, and the early signs suggest the Wolverines want more than just the occasional border-state win. With coaches who know the state well, Michigan has started leaning into relationships there and has already added four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert in the 2027 class while staying active with a growing list of younger prospects.
The next wave could matter even more. Michigan is in the mix for Ohio talent such as Asa Burch in the 2028 class, and four-star running back Carte Ligon is expected back in Ann Arbor for a Gameday visit this fall after seeing campus once already this spring. For a program trying to build something lasting, the real question is whether this is a one-off burst of momentum or the start of a pipeline that keeps sending Ohio prospects north. [Read more 🡒]