While Mike Hart was a fan favorite, favored son, and incredible developer of talent, his recruiting prowess wasn’t exactly renowned during his time in Ann Arbor. Hart did reel in Jordan Marshall, an Ohio native who spurned the hometown Buckeyes in favor of Michigan football, but when it comes to top prospects outside of Marshall, Hart wasn’t really getting much in terms of highly-rated recruits.
Enter Tony Alford, the former Ohio State running backs coach who defected to Ann Arbor after starting spring ball in Columbus. Known for developing players such as J.K. Dobbins and recruiting TreVeyon Henderson (who committed to OSU sight unseen), he’s already been much more aggressive when it’s come to attacking the recruiting trail.
More evidence of such surfaced on Thursday with the latest offer: 2026 Woodberry Forest (Va.) five-star running back Savion Hiter.
Humbled and extremely excited to announce I’ve received an 🅾️ffer from THE @UMichFootball
〽️ #GoBlue @Coach_SMoore @CoachTonyAlford @CoachMatteo_WFS @WFS_Athletics @CoachMcCannERT @Spotlight39_Pod @SWiltfong247 @WillVapreps @adamgorney @BrianDohn247 @berry_seth14 pic.twitter.com/d5TrysbbJT— Savion “Cinco” Hiter (HY-ter) (@5starsavi) March 28, 2024
Hiter is listed by the 247Sports Composite as the top running back in the 2026 class as well as the No. 10 overall player in the country, regardless of position.
He has 21 reported offers, including one issued from Alford during his tenure at Ohio State.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 182 pounds, Hiter will have his pick of suitors across the country, including from other elite schools such as Alabama and Georgia. But with Alford leading the charge, in conjunction with Michigan’s offensive philosophy, it would stand to reason that the Wolverines could find themselves in the mix for his services.