Wolverine TV: Breaking down every Michigan signee in the 2026 class

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland shares his thoughts on every 2026 Michigan signee, including five-star Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga EDGE Carter Meadows.

Watch the full video above.

Meadows Recruitment

Michigan extended an offer to Meadows in August of last year and got him on campus for his first visit in the fall for the game against USC.

Meadows returned to Michigan for another unofficial visit this spring and made his official visit on June 20 for Victors Weekend.

Michigan was able to seal the deal soon after his OV. He picked Michigan over fellow finalists Ohio State, Penn State and South Carolina.

Here is what Holland had to say about Meadows.

“Meadows is a terrific student in the classroom, and I said on several occasions that I saw him as this cycle’s Andrew Babalola,” Holland said. “Meadows was looking for an elite blend of academics and development — similar to Babalola. You didn’t have to break the bank with NIL. On the field, Meadows is that tall, long pass rusher that Michigan didn’t land last cycle. They had to close with him, and they did. This was a massive recruiting win for the Wolverines.”

At 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Meadows is ranked as the No. 1 EDGE and No. 6 overall prospect nationally, per Rivals. He is also ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in D.C. for this cycle.

Michigan holds 26 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, Rivals300 St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet defensive lineman Titan Davis, Rivals300 Billings (Mont.) West tight end Matt Ludwig, Rivals300 Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s offensive lineman Marky Walbridge, Rivals300 Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson, Rivals300 Waco (Texas) Connally cornerback Jamarion Vincent, Rivals300 Liberty Hill (Texas) High defensive lineman Alister Vallejo, four-star Chicago (Ill.) Simeon EDGE McHale Blade, four-star Richmond (Va.) Hermitage defensive back Andre Clarke, 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 Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal wide receiver Jaylen Pile, three-star Richmond (Va.) Huguenot linebacker Markel Dabney, three-star Hinsdale (Ill.) Central kicker Micah Drescher, three-star Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales running back Jonathan Brown, three-star Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy offensive lineman Tommy Fraumann, three-star Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier linebacker Aden Reeder, three-star Jackson (Miss.) Hartfield Academy linebacker Kaden Catchings, three-star Saline (Mich.) High quarterback Tommy Carr, three-star Newberry Park (Calif.) High quarterback Brady Smigiel, three-star Washington (D.C.) St. John’s offensive lineman Adrian Hamilton and three-star Phoenix (Ariz.) O’Connor long snapper Colton Dermer.

Michigan entered the day with the No. 12 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.