Four-star DB Dorian Barney flips from Michigan to Ole Miss

Michigan’s 2026 recruiting class has taken a hit.

Four-star Carrollton (Ga.) High defensive back Dorian Barney flipped his commitment from Michigan to Ole Miss this week.

Barney’s decision came after a weekend trip to see the Rebels in game action. Barney was considered a soft commit as he also made a visit to Georgia Tech earlier this season.

Michigan extended an offer to Barney in May of last year. He committed to Alabama just a week later but backed out of his verbal pledge to the Crimson Tide last fall.

Barney began to trend to Texas A&M soon after. However, Penn State took command of his recruitment going into the summer. Michigan made a late surge and eventually earned his commitment. Now, he’s a verbal pledge to Ole Miss.

Barney’s recruitment has been a wild ride. The Wolverines no longer have to worry about keeping him and continue to shift its attention to other targets.

Michigan has been in contact with several potential flips in the secondary, including Top 100 Notre Dame commit Khary Adams, Top 100 Oregon commit Davon Benjamin and Rivals300 Baylor commit Jamarion Vincent. The Wolverines will look to get them on campus in coming weeks.

Michigan now has 22 commits in its 2026 recruiting class — five-star Mineral (Va.) Louisa County running back Savion Hiter, five-star Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga EDGE Carter Meadows, Top 100 Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha offensive tackle Malakai Lee, Top 100 St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet defensive lineman Titan Davis, Top 100 Billings (Mont.) West tight end Matt Ludwig, Top 100 Newberry Park (Calif.) High quarterback Brady Smigiel, On300 Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s offensive lineman Marky Walbridge, On300 Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson, On300 Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork EDGE Julian Walker, On300 Chicago (Ill.) Simeon EDGE McHale Blade, four-star Richmond (Va.) Hermitage defensive back Andre Clarke, four-star Mansfield (Texas) High wide receiver Zion Robinson, three-star Cartersville (Ga.) Cass offensive lineman Bear McWhorter, three-star Washington (D.C.) St. John’s EDGE Tariq Boney, three-star Denver (Colo.) Mullen tight end Mason Bonner, three-star Liberty Hill (Texas) High defensive lineman Alister Vallejo, three-star Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal wide receiver Jaylen Pile, three-star Richmond (Va.) Huguenot linebacker Markel Dabney, three-star Hinsdale (Ill.) Central kicker Micah Drescher, Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales running back Jonathan Brown and Phoenix (Ariz.) O’Connor long snapper Colton Dermer.

Michigan entered the day with the No. 10 ranked 2026 recruiting class nationally, per the On3 Industry team recruiting rankings. Michigan is also ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten. USC currently has the top class in the conference.