White (GA) Cass offensive guard Bear McWhorter, a 2026 prospect, committed to Michigan on Friday. The former Arkansas commit also had offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and numerous others.
McWhorter is listed at 6’3.5″ and 295 lbs. on 247 Sports.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 81 grade, #5 IOL, #175 overall
On3: 3-star, 88 grade, #43 IOL
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #11 IOL
247 Sports: 3-star, 85 grade, #87 IOL
Hit the jump for more.
McWhorter grew up an Alabama fan and was named after Paul “Bear” Bryant, who I’m told is a pretty big deal down South and might have won a few games for Auburn or something. But anyway, McWhorter was offered by Arkansas in February 2023, Alabama in June 2023, and Michigan in July 2024. He had committed to Arkansas in August 2023 and decommitted from the Razorbacks at the end of June 2024, so Michigan offered him approximately a month after he decommitted. It was seen as a Michigan vs. Alabama battle for a while, but Michigan won out in the end*.
*Of course, “the end” still has about nine months to go, and we all saw how the commitment of Bryce Underwood didn’t “end” with his pledge to LSU. So caveats apply.
The first thing I notice about McWhorter is his stance. He has good knee and ankle flexion and can curl up into a ball of fury, spring-loaded for action. He has a good first step and outstanding athleticism, and that athleticism – particularly his ability to change direction and adjust to movement on the second level – is perhaps the most impressive feature of his play. He will be able to find people at the second level, latch on, and not let go until they’re planted on their backsides in the Ann Arbor Pioneer parking lot. His bend allows him to make contact at hip level and maintain leverage, and he finishes blocks with ferocity.
On the negative side, it will be interesting to see how big he ends up getting. He played some at left tackle and some at left guard in high school, but he looks more like a guard. He may end up being athletic enough to be a short-ish tackle a la Jon Runyan, Jr. And if that’s the case, how will his feet and technique hold up on the edge? He looks more comfortable inside and would need some technical work on his pass sets if he were to play tackle.
Overall, if I had to give a player comparison . . . can I say “Mason Graham but on offense?” McWhorter has that nastiness we saw from Graham the past three years on the defensive side of the ball. McWhorter has the athleticism to be a nasty pulling guard, which is where I would project him to play. After perhaps a year of strength and conditioning, he could very well end up pushing for playing time in year two.
Michigan now has three commitments in the class of 2026, where he joins WR Jaylen Pile and CB Brody Jennings.
TTB Rating: 86
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