Tag: Brady Smigiel

2026 Season Countdown: #116-117

#116. Brady Smigiel – QB – Thousand Oaks (CA) Newbury Park: The 6’5″, 215 lb. freshman quarterback injured his knee during his senior season of high school and is very likely to redshirt during his first year on campus. Ranked as a 4-star, the #26 quarterback, and #406 overall in the 247 Composite, he completed 64.4% of his passes as a senior for 1,634 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in six games before getting hurt. I think Smigiel is a fine athlete with a solid arm, but I am concerned about how slow his footwork can be when getting into position to throw, and the ball gets to his receivers too late. Regardless of how developed he is overall, he’s unlikely to play in

#117. Micah Ka’apana – RB – Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman: Ka’apana had been heading into the 2026 season with the possibility of being the #3 or #4 back, but a spring leg injury ended his season before it began. Head coach Kyle Whittingham announced during spring ball that Ka’apana had suffered an injury and would miss the entire year. Totaling 10 carries for 38 yards and 1 catch for 8 yards in 2025, Ka’apana would have been battling freshman Savion Hiter and former walk-on Bryson Kuzdzal for playing time. With Hiter, Kuzdzal, and starter Jordan Marshall, Michigan has a solid top three, but the things veer into unknown territory with unproven players like redshirt freshman Donovan Johnson and true freshman Jonathan Brown.

Visitors: June 20-22, 2025

2026

Dorian Barney – CB – Carrollton (GA) Carrollton: Barney is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with officials to Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Penn State, and Texas A&M already out of the way. He’s a 4-star, the #14 cornerback, and #148 overall. This is an official visit and he plans to announce his college decision on July 5.

McHale Blade – DE – Chicago (IL) Simeon: McHale is committed to Michigan. This is an unofficial visit since he already took an official to Ann Arbor.

Tariq Boney – DE – Washington (DC) St. John’s: Boney is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Hit the jump for more.

Visitors: June 6-8, 2025

2026

Nick Abrams II – LB – Owings Mills (MD) McDonough: Abrams is a 6’2″, 215 lb. prospect with official visits set for Alabama and Oregon, and he has already visited Georgia. He’s a 4-star, the #17 linebacker, and #251 overall. This is an official visit.

Khary Adams – CB – Towson (MD) Loyola Blakefield: Adams is a 6’2″, 175-pounder with official visits to Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, and South Carolina, along with Michigan. He’s a 4-star, the #9 cornerback, and #75 overall. This is an official visit.

McHale Blade – DE – Chicago (IL) Simeon: Blade is a 6’4″, 245 lb. edge prospect with officials to Purdue and Wisconsin under his belt, and this is his last scheduled official visit for the time being. He’s a 4-star, the #21 defensive lineman, and #169 overall. He attends the alma mater of Chris Bryant, Michigan’s Director of High School Relations. This is an official visit.

Hit the jump for more.

Brady Smigiel, Wolverine

Newbury Park (CA) Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel committed to Michigan on April 26. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State, among others, and he was previously committed to Florida State.

247 Sports lists Smigiel at 6’6″ and 205 pounds. As a junior in 2024, he completed 219/336 passes for 3,521 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions while also rushing 89 times for 435 yards and 11 scores. Altogether, he has been responsible for 165 touchdowns, thrown 28 interceptions, and thrown for 11,222 yards as a three-year varsity starter.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 84 grade, #4 QB, #45 overall
On3: 4-star, 90 grade, #17 QB, #246 overall
Rivals: 5-star, 6.1 grade, #5 QB, #23 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 91 grade, #8 QB, #126 overall

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2025 Spring Game Visitors

TRANSFER PORTAL

C.J. Hester – RB – UMass: Hester is a 5’10”, 190 lb. running back who started his career at Western Michigan in 2023 and transferred to UMass in 2024. Coming out of Cincinnati (OH) Wyoming, he was a 3-star, the #113 running back, and #1702 overall, and his offer list was made up entirely of MAC schools. He ran 28 times for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns as a freshman Bronco, and as a Minuteman in 2024, he was #2 on the team with 119 carries for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns. Michigan is pursuing him as a potential replacement for Benjamin Hall, who announced a few days ago that he was entering the portal.

2026

Khary Adams – CB – Towson (MD) Loyola Blakefield: Adams is a 6’2″, 175-pounder with officials planned for Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, and South Carolina. He’s a 4-star, the #10 cornerback, and #76 overall.

Dorian Barney – CB – Carrollton (GA) Carrollton: Barney is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with officials set for Georgia Tech, Penn State, and Texas A&M. He’s a 4-star, the #14 cornerback, and #117 overall.

J.J. Finch – DT – Indianapolis (IN) Warren Central: Finch is a 6’3″, 260 lb. prospect who’s the son of former Michigan commit Jerimy Finch, a safety who played for Florida and Indiana. The younger Finch is a 3-star, the #43 defensive lineman, and #435 overall. Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee are slated to get official visits, and Michigan is trying to join that list.

Brody Jennings – CB – Jacksonville (FL) Mandarin: Jennings is committed to Michigan. He’s a 4-star, the #23 cornerback, and #269 overall.

Hit the jump for more.