The Michigan Wolverines are always going to recruit well, but there is a growing trend that may explain their recent success.
Their national brand, prestige, academics and significant stake in the NIL world have helped ease the transition from the latter Jim Harbaugh glory days into Sherrone Moore’s reign. While in-state and regional players have and will continue to create the foundation of Michigan’s roster, there is another less talked-about state that has made contributions to its recruiting classes in recent years.
The Texas Connection
Moore’s staff’s role in recruiting high schoolers from Texas starts with two natives, defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan and special teams coordinator J.B. Brown. Morgan is from Copperas Cove, which is located about an hour north of Austin. After attending Louisiana Lafayette, he earned two master’s degrees from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
Brown, meanwhile, is from just south of Houston, and his family has played a prominent role in the area’s football history. Brown’s father, James, coached high school for 17 years in both Dallas and Houston.
Do not underestimate the camaraderie of Texans during in-home visits or the parental assurance of having a familiar culture in Ann Arbor.
The Big Boom
The Wolverines have built chunks of their 2025 and 2026 classes from Texas. Last year, it was four-star offensive lineman Ty Haywood (Denton), four-star wide receiver Andrew Marsh (Fulshear) and four-star cornerback Jayden Sanders (Kilgore). In the 2026 class, Michigan boasts commitments from four-star wide receiver Zion Robinson (Mansfield), four-star defensive lineman Alister Vallejo (Liberty Hill), four-star safety Jordan Deck (Frisco) and three-star wide receiver Jaylen Pile (Dallas).
But recruiting the state of Texas at this high of a level was not always this way.
From 2022-24, the Wolverines landed a combined three commitments from Texas (2024: four-star offensive lineman Blake Fraizer, 2023: four-star defensive lineman Enow Etta, 2022: three-star quarterback Alex Orji).
There is not necessarily a direct correlation between Texas and winning, but anyone who knows football knows how consumptive it is down south. Plucking recruits from that area — which now calls itself SEC territory — is particularly important to Michigan’s success moving forward.
It is one thing to dominate the Midwestern circuits; it is another entirely to nab blue-chip talent from football’s most prosperous region.
Furthermore, about 1 in 12 NFL players hail from the Lone Star State. The Wolverines have long excelled at sending their players to the NFL, but it is another good sign to regularly win recruiting battles in that hotbed.
Michigan no longer has to limit itself on the recruiting trail. Coaches like Morgan and Brown — as well as the national brand that Michigan has — should continue to attract players from the state of Texas for years to come.
