Signing Day: Breaking down the 5 Mitten signing classes

National Signing Day, Part I is winding down, and technically the signing period doesn’t end until Friday — all before another in February — as letters of intent are still coming in. 

But with most of the classes for the Mitten teams more or less in place, save for a few key exceptions and a new coaching staff in East Lansing, there’s a lot to unpack from each of the five classes as they are as of Wednesday evening. 

Michigan leads the way with a class ranked on the fringes of the Top 10, and the Spartans lag behind in the 40s and 50s, depending on one's choice of ranking, while the Michigan MAC schools are far behind them both. 

So, here are 30 thoughts on signing day, five general ones and five for each respective team. 

To start, five general thoughts

1. For as much as the transfer portal has changed the paradigm of this sport, high school recruiting remains the lifeblood of a successful roster. Getting recruits in as freshmen and developing them for multiple years in a system can’t be replicated, and as much as NIL and revenue share money can be used to add to a roster, those financial tools can be used to keep players in the program and build up the depth and continuity that’s so hard to come by in college football right now. 
2. When it does come to transfers, don’t undervalue the junior college transfers. And evidently the three Michigan MAC schools haven’t in recruiting. Western Michigan is bringing in five, Central Michigan added seven and Eastern Michigan (as part of a 37-man December signing class) is bringing in nine JUCO signees. WMU head coach Lance Taylor spoke on Wednesday as to why those players have been attractive in recruiting.
   
   “I love the mentality and mindset of junior college players. When they come in they're hungry, they're humble, they're thankful for everything that you give them. There's no entitlement. They want to work for everything that they're given. They're great teammates. And I think when you go the route that they go, you know that it's, 'I've gotta make my dreams happen or bust.' And that's a sobering fact, a sobering reality."
3. The top four players in the state of Michigan in the 2026 signing class, according to Rivals, are all signed with out of state schools. Notre Dame inked Portage Northern’s Gregory Patrick and Davison’s Ben Nichols, both offensive linemen ranked in the top 200 nationally. Detroit Cass Tech offensive star CJ Sadler signed with North Carolina and Saline tight end Lincoln Keyes is headed south to play for Georgia.
   
   East Kentwood quarterback Kayd Coffman signed his letter of intent on Wednesday evening, bringing the four-star recruit and fifth-ranked player in the state to East Lansing to lead Pat Fitzgerald’s first class. Michigan, which has recruited increasingly nationally, doesn’t pop up until the No. 10 player in the state, quarterback Tommy Carr out of Saline. He’s the younger brother of Notre Dame QB CJ Carr and grandson of Lloyd Carr. In general, though, the top in-state talent is dispersing from the state in this class. 
4. Don’t forget today isn’t the finish line. The signing period closes on Friday and then the transfer portal will eventually open. There’s also a February signing period. So all five of the Mitten teams have a chance to add to their respective signing classes and rosters in the coming weeks and months. This is of particular import for Fitzgerald at MSU as he will both be re-recruiting the Spartan roster and seeking to fill out the signing class, and likely add through the transfer portal. 
5. As of the writing of this, Michigan has the No. 10, 11 or 12 class depending on the source. Michigan State is either No. 46 or 51. Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan rank anywhere from No. 88 (EMU via 247 Sports) and No. 112 (WMU via On3/Rivals). These rankings aren’t bogus, by any means, but they’re a very imperfect metric for an imperfect science: Scouting football players. And a recruiting class is only as good as it gets developed and deployed on the field. Bad development and bad scheme fit will have diminishing returns. So pay attention to rankings, but they’re by no means an end-all, be-all. 

Central Michigan’s first class under Matt Drinkall

6. The Chippewas attacked the trenches hard in the No. 4 class in the MAC, per 247 Sports. Drinkall and Co. brought in seven offensive linemen and five defensive linemen. Drinkall was a very successful offensive line coach at Army, so it’s not a surprise to see his program go full bore getting reinforcements there. And it just might not be possible to have too many defensive linemen. And 12 of 31 signees are linemen for the Chippewas. 
7. DeWitt’s Trav Moore is the sort of player this offensive staff has shown it can weaponize. Think about what running back Brock Townsend has done, and Moore can probably fit in a similar mold. Plus he’s very explosive. The star for DeWitt signs this week fresh off setting a state record for rushing yards in a championship game — 397 yards, 32 carries — as DeWitt capped a 14-0 season with a second-ever state title. 
8. It’s always interesting to see a new staff's recruiting footprint. Drinkall and Co. went after a fair few Michigan recruits and had 11 in this initial wave of signees. California (four players), Florida (two), Missouri (two), Utah, Iowa and Virginia all are represented in this class. And there’s an obvious Midwest flavor with Illinois (three), Indiana (three), Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania also producing signees for CMU.
9. The Chippewas got tall. There are just three players in this 31-man signing cohort under 6 feet tall: Moore (5-foot-11), DB David Williams (5-foot-11) and WR Avin Robinson (5-foot-11). Every other player the Chippewas signed is 6-plus feet tall. Grand Rapids West Catholic OL Jacob Timmer is the tallest signee at 6-foot-6. 
10. The Chippewas didn’t sign a quarterback as of yet, but that’s not looking like an issue when thinking about the roster as it will be next year if things hold. Central Michigan will have Jadyn Glasser back healthy along with Angel Flores and Marcus Beamon. All three of them played this year and could very well feature in the offense next year in major ways. It won’t be a surprise to see CMU add a quarterback along the way, but right now there’s not a ton of need on the immediate horizon.

Eastern Michigan restocks roster

11. The Eagles signed 37 players on Wednesday. The only teams currently with more, according to both On3/Rivals and 247 Sports are West Virginia and North Carolina, both of those teams are remaking their rosters under new(ish) regimes. That is not the case for the Eagles, and Chris Creighton and Co. signed one of the biggest classes in the country as the staff at EMU looks to not miss a bowl for a third season in a row.
12. Just because EMU went for some volume shooting doesn’t mean the staff sacrificed quality. Eastern Michigan signed 28 three-star players, per 247 Sports (32 per On3/Rivals). It’s the No. 3 class in the MAC per 247. Either way, this group doesn’t sacrifice quality for quantity — it’s something better: Strength in numbers. 
13. The Eagles didn’t sign many players from Michigan in this class, bringing four in amongst the 37. They are Divine Child DB Antonio Solares-Vitti, fresh off a state title, plus Troy Athens TE Nathan Piggot, Owosso OL Carter Miculka and Brighton TE Brady Shelton.
14. The Eagles hit the JUCO ranks heavily, adding nine signees from that level. That group will, by virtue of age and some experience, will be able to come in and make a more immediate impact than the 28 freshmen EMU is also bringing in.
15. It’d be remiss to not take a moment to remember Elijah Berman, a defensive lineman committed to the Eagles in June and was killed later that month when the motorcycle he was driving was struck by a semitruck. Berman was 17. He would’ve signed with EMU today, and Creighton filmed a short video tribute to Berman to kick off signing day.

No QB coup, but some high-end additions for Michigan

16. Michigan closed out to signing day with a few flips, including Waco, Texas, cornerback Jamarion Vincent, a rangy defensive back previously committed to Baylor. Along with that four-star flip, Michigan snagged a three-star offensive linemen who was committed to Virginia tech, Ace Hamilton. 
17. But the real jewels of this class are edge rusher Parker Meadows and running back Savion Hiter. Both players are ranked in the Top 10 nationally and are the sorts of talents that can help Michigan get back to the level of College Football Playoff and national title contention. 
18. There may be a hang up there, though, as Hiter has yet to sign with the Wolverines as of Wednesday evening. Steve Wiltfong of On3/Rivals is reporting that Hiter and Michigan are working out “minor” details in whatever revenue share or NIL deals are being offered. He’s reportedly expected to sign Thursday morning, still. Welcome to college football in 2025, folks. 
19. Assuming Hiter does eventually sign and this doesn’t become a DEFCON situation in Ann Arbor, Michigan has put together a solid class that certainly addresses some coming needs. With the defensive line and linebacker rooms losing plenty of veteran talent after this year, Michigan added a trio of linebackers and three defensive linemen, plus Meadows. 
20. This class has two awesome names: OL Bear McWhorter and TE Moose Ludwig. McHale Blade isn’t half bad either. Just pondering for future all-name team consideration.

Michigan State signs 17 as Fitzgerald gets job No. 1 done

21. Fitzgerald said when he got introduced on Tuesday that his first job, with Signing Day less than 24 hours away, had to be getting the 2026 MSU class signed. The rest of getting started could wait. And it seems they did OK, as MSU has 17 players signed. 
22. Perhaps the most important piece fell into place on Wednesday night as East Kentwood QB Kayd Coffman signed his letter of intent during an evening ceremony. He said he’d spoken to Fitzgerald twice already and is ready to join the Spartans. Coffman’s signing could be key for MSU landing another big in-state prospect.
23. Samson Gash, the Detroit Catholic Central star, remains unsigned and doesn’t plan to until February, following the coaching change at MSU. He remains committed to the Spartans, but is taking a step back and opening up his recruitment. Getting Gash, a four-star receiver prospect, signed in February would be big for Fitzgerald.
24. Fitzgerald already managed a flip in this class, adding Jack Ziarko, an offensive linemen out of Canton, Ohio, to the group. Ziarko had been committed to Miami (OH) but Fitzgerald got in and managed quite the rapid commitment and signing from Ziarko. 
25. This class, while technically the first for Fitzgerald, is really a lot like the one Jonathan Smith signed in 2023 just weeks after taking over the MSU program then. Fitzgerald will stretch his recruiting legs in the run to February and the 2027 class will be the first that’s his, so to speak, in East Lansing.

Western Michigan wraps up signing day with MAC title game in sight

26. It’s been a busy week for Lance Taylor and the Western Michigan staff. The Broncos finished the regular season on Tuesday at Eastern Michigan and secured a berth in the MAC title game. That meant two things: A week of game prep, which would overlap signing day. Oh, and Thanksgiving. The group set out some time last week to get ahead on signing day and be ready for game prep for Saturday vs. Miami (OH). 
27. Western Michigan brought in 23 signees in the 2026 class so far, but Taylor said it will be added to, either in the coming days or in February. There will also be transfers potentially joining the Broncos. But it’s likely that this class, outside of MSU, could have the most additions to come.
28. Taylor stressed on Wednesday how the Broncos believe they’re in one of the best G5 recruiting areas in the country, defined by the five hour radius from Kalamazoo. And the class reflects that with 14 signees from that footprint.
29. The Broncos have two linebackers currently starring who arrived in Kalamazoo after playing at a lower level. And it seems more of the same could be coming with three JUCO linebacker signees: Justyce Betts, Teegan Haines and Jermar McCarter
30. The name of the day for all the signees across the Mitten belongs to one Munachimdainanma Ezra Newman-Nwodika. The offensive lineman out of Pike High in Indianapolis is a three-star recruit, and apparently also goes by “Muna.”