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Wolverine TV: Breaking down new Michigan LB commit Markel Dabney

ECCrzGbXkAEmHxxby: EJ Holland06/27/25EJHollandOn3
Recruiting Q&A (7)
EJ Holland/On3

Michigan scored an important recruiting win when it landed a commitment from three-star Richmond (Va.) Huguenot linebacker Markel Dabney this weekend. Dabney flipped to U-M after initially giving SMU a verbal pledge.

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland shares his thoughts on Dabney in the video at the end of this story.

Dabney Recruitment

Dabney earned an offer from Michigan in early February and hosted him for his first visit just a couple of months later.

Michigan had early momentum for Dabney, but the Virginia native abruptly committed to SMU during U-M’s self-imposed contact ban. Once the ban was lifted, Michigan got right back in the picture and hosted him for an official visit on June 13.

Michigan pushed hard for a flip and won him over.

Here is what Holland had to say about Dabney.

“Dabney isn’t valued very high by the recruiting services,” Holland said. “He’s ranked in the 700s, per the On3 Industry Ranking. However, I really like Dabney. He’s listed at 205 on some sites but appears to be in the 215-220 range. He has a great build to go along with terrific athleticism. He lined up at wide receiver last year and racked up more than 1,000 yards receiving. Yes, he’s still very raw, but there is a lot upside with Dabney. He’s fast, athletic and is comfortable in space.”

At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Dabney is ranked as the No. 68 linebacker and No. 807 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also ranked as the No. 16 overall recruit in the state of Virginia this cycle.

Michigan now has 16 commits in its 2026 recruiting class — Dabney, 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 Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin cornerback Brody Jennings, On300 Chicago (Ill.) Simeon EDGE McHale Blade, On300 Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s offensive lineman Marky Walbridge, 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 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. 15 ranked 2026 recruiting class nationally, per the On3 Industry team recruiting rankings. Michigan is also ranked No. 5 in the Big Ten. USC currently has the top class in the conference.

Michigan also has the No. 12 ranked transfer portal class this cycle, per the On3 transfer portal index.

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