One of the questions about Michigan football hiring Kyle Whittingham from Utah to lead the program into the future has been what will the recruiting piece look like? Given that Whittingham has tended to do more with less and brought mostly a staff from the Utes and BYU to Ann Arbor, it was no sure thing that he would manage to get the cream of the crop to join him with the Wolverines.
However, it appears that Whittingham is making some early headway for a truly elite player on the defensive side of the ball.
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Thought to be a Notre Dame lean as of recent, the maize and blue are surging for 2027 Fontana (Calif.) Orange Lutheran five-star defensive tackle Marcus Fakatou. Rated No. 28 overall by the Rivals Industry Ranking, a cadre of Rivals recruiting analysts predicted where they believe Fakatou will eventually end up, and all of them said Ann Arbor. (subscription required)
Gorney — Michigan: “A lot of changes have occurred in Fakatou’s recruitment recently, so there could still be some significant movement, but Michigan is now out front. Fakatou is planning two visits to Ann Arbor in the coming months and has anyone ever been disappointed when they saw what the Wolverines have to offer in-person? Notre Dame is battling along with Georgia and Ohio State.”
Biggins — Michigan: “This is a fluid recruitment and I don’t think there’s a solid leader at the moment. I’m going to predict Michigan as I think they have the momentum right now, but Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame are right there as well.”
Huffman — Michigan: “For a long while, it seemed like Notre Dame was the front runner but some coaching dominoes pushed the Irish back. At the same time, Michigan emerged, largely with the presence of Lewis Powell, who had built the relationship with him early while at Utah and then took it to another level when he got to Ann Arbor. Now, the Wolverines seemed best positioned, though the Irish aren’t entirely out and Oregon, Texas and Ohio State stay in the mix.”
Wiltfong — Michigan: “Michigan is the program get grabbing the momentum now, with their coaches going out to see him a couple times, including Kyle Whittingham on one trip. This has been a fluid recruitment, but the Maize and Blue are certainly piquing his interest at the very least.”
Fakatou is listed at 6-foot-7, 295 pounds, and could be a force in the middle of the defense. Here is the scouting report from Rivals’ Charles Power:
Behemoth defensive lineman with eye-catching movement skills and power. Checks in at around 6-foot-7.5, 265 pounds. Should easily get to around 300 pounds with his big frame. Primarily lines up as a big defensive end for his high school to this point, but could end up sliding inside long-term. Flashes encouraging first-step quickness and has the power to forklift offensive linemen into the backfield. Turned in a productive freshman season, notching 10 tackles for loss and five sacks against strong competition.
Whittingham isn’t inept at recruiting five-stars, they just come few and far between. He had managed to get Salesi Moa to pledge (and enroll) with the Utes, but Moa ended up following the Utah staff to Michigan, ultimately. He also managed to hold onto the two five-stars who were already signed in running back Savion Hiter and edge rusher Carter Meadows.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football predicted to land five-star defensive tackle
