Kyle Whittingham and his staff have only been at Michigan for a little more than a month, but they’ve already hit the ground running and have earned some commitments from recruits in the 2026 class. In this edition of the Recruiting Roundup, we will discuss the most recent commitment detailing why he picked the Wolverines.
Younger brother of U-M DL details commitment to Michigan
Over the weekend, Michigan picked up a commitment from Ndi Etta, the younger brother of current defensive lineman Enow Etta. He joins three-star defensive back Ernest Nunley and kicker Jacob Baggett as the three players who have committed to Michigan since Whittingham was hired.
Advertisement
Etta took an official visit to Michigan this past weekend and locked in his decision then. He expanded on his decision with The Wolverine’s Ethan McDowell ($).
“It just felt like home, to be honest,” Ndi said. “My brother is obviously there, so it even pushed me more. I haven’t played with my brother since my freshman year, and I barely got to see him. I see him maybe once every three months, once every five months, really. So that was probably the main push.”
Michigan has told Etta he will play outside linebacker, working with defensive ends coach Lewis Powell and linebackers coach Alex Whittingham. The staff compared him to a recent Wolverine currently making plays for one of the best teams in the NFC.
“I’m fast and twitchy, and I can blitz off the edge,” Ndi said. “They said my comparison was Josiah Stewart. Josiah was a really good player, so I thought that was really cool.”
Advertisement
Etta isn’t ranked on the 247Sports composite, so he will need to let his play speak for itself. However, he’s got the chance to compete, and he sounds pumped for it.
“Even if I have to compete against (Enow), I’ll compete against him. I don’t care. He might take the height, but I think I have all the athletics, and that’s always kind of been a big thing. We’ve been really competitive,” Ndi said. “I’m excited to just have that competitive nature. And obviously, Michigan is a really competitive place, so I’m really excited for that too.”
A few Michigan commits move up in 247’s final 2026 rankings
The final 2026 rankings have been released by 247Sports, and a few Michigan signees made some big jumps.
Advertisement
-
Edge Tariq Boney — who was a low three-star for much of his time as a recruit — ended up being a four-star on the composite
-
Offensive lineman Malakai Lee rose 102 spots to No. 86 overall, and is on the cusp of being a top-100 overall prospect on the composite at No. 106 overall.
-
Carter Meadows (No. 9 overall) and Savion Hiter (No. 12 overall) both finished as composite five-stars and are Michigan’s top recruits in the class.
It is nice to see these guys get some recognition. Hopefully their impact on the field can back up these rankings.
Four-star WR hoping to visit Michigan
The Wolverines have four commits in the 2027 class, but none of them are wide receivers. Michigan has been going after many in the class, including four-star Zion White, who plays at IMG Academy. He actually up his very first offer from Whittingham back when he was at Utah.
“You have to give him credit,” White told The Wolverine’s E.J. Holland ($). “He’s a great coach. He did a great job at Utah. I hope the best for him and the best for Michigan. Utah was actually my first offer when I was really young. That meant a lot to me.”
Advertisement
Whittingham isn’t the only coach White has a connection with, as wide receivers coach Micah Simon has made an impression on him as well.
“We have a great relationship,” White said. “It started off when I was really young. I wasn’t really too good yet my freshman year, but we talked, and he said, ‘we see potential in you.’ He liked my height and frame.”
White, who is originally from Hawaii, is ranked in the top-150 overall on the composite. He’s got offers from Auburn, Cal, Penn State, Washington and several others, but notably, Michigan has not yet extended an offer.
“I definitely want to take a visit there if they offer,” White said. “I would just want to see everything up there and talk to all the coaches.”
Advertisement
Quick Hitters
-Michigan recently offered 2027 three-star running back Jeremy Adeyanju.
-Speaking of running backs, 2027 top-100 running back Tyson Robinson is set to officially visit Michigan on June 11, per Rivals’ Chad Simmons ($).
