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Just six months after committing to the Florida State Football program, quarterback Brady Smigiel backed out from his words on Jan 26. This was shocking especially when the Newbury Park QB was on good terms with the Seminoles HC Mike Norwell. “The hardest part is he really likes Coach Norvell and coach Tony [Tokarz],” Brady’s father Joe Smigiel. And while the Ohio State Football already had their eyes on the 17-year-old, the Washington Huskies were also one of the pursuers thanks to the multiple visits from the Huskies in the last month. However, surpassing every other program, Michigan has now emerged as the frontrunner in the pursuit of Smigiel.

After dominating the 2025 recruiting cycle ranked 6th nationally and landing two 5-stars, 15 4-stars, and seven 3-star commits, among which are seven Top 100 recruits, Michigan is already setting the stage for another big haul in 2026. One of their biggest wins on National Signing Day came when 5-star OT Ty Haywood inked his commitment with the Wolverines. But with Brady showing interest in the Moore-led Wolves, this could be another win for Michigan.

With Chip Kelly gone, Ohio State’s recruiting game just took a hit, and Michigan is capitalizing on it. The 2026 class QB out of California joined Josh Newberg in a new YouTube episode on On3 Recruits on February 7 to drop some updates on teams pursuing him. He said, “It was coach [Chip] Kelly from Ohio State, but now he got the Raiders job. It’s kind of off the table right now. But I would say Washington, UCLA, Auburn, South Carolina, and Michigan.”

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Chip Kelly had been instrumental in Smigiel’s recruitment while at Columbus. The young QB expressed his admiration for the former NFL HC who left again for the pro league as the new OC of the Las Vegas Raiders. He admitted, “It’s awesome. Just being able to have a relationship with him, being able to communicate with him, and him being honest with me, telling me that there’s a good chance he takes an NFL job and the Ohio State connection might end right there.” And now that it’s over, the Wolverines could be the winner given Sherrone Moore’s intervention.

Josh Newberg recounted how Sherrone Moore visited Brady Smigiel’s high school in Newbury Park, CA, last week, for which he missed an interview with On3. Now the coveted QB is breaking the silence with what happened behind the scenes with the Wolverines HC—“Just rebuilding our relationship.” He added why Michigan is stirring interest, saying, “We loved it in Ann Arbor. We just really like the tradition over there. Just everything about Ann Arbor, we really loved.” But culture isn’t the only thing that’s piquing his interest. 

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Brady Smigiel is comfortable with the Michigan staff

There’s another reason why Brady Smigiel is locked in on Michigan, and that’s because of his relationship with the Wolverines OC and QB coach Chip Lindsey, who joined the program in 2024. “I have a really good relationship with coach Lindsey over there,” he said. “He was at North Carolina so right when he got that job at Michigan, I was one of the first calls. So just being able to rekindle that relationship I have with Moore.” And this connection set him up for a visit to Michigan in March.

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If Michigan can land Brady Smigiel, it’ll be a statement win for Moore and his staff. Steve Wiltfong of On3 is already high on the hype, saying, “Well, he had a fantastic junior season, and that is re-energised interest from a lot of programs on the trail. You know, his dad said as many as 60 total touchdowns, just three interceptions, 11 rushing scores. Mr. California.” The junior QB led his team to a 14-1 season, recording 3500+ yards and 49 touchdowns. 

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It could be another big win for Sherrone Moore, who made headlines with his QB recruitment success in the 2025 class. They’ve already secured two commits to the 2026 class. Michigan is always pushing the right buttons. Time will tell if they can close the deal once more.  

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Is Michigan's tradition enough to lure top QB talent away from powerhouse programs like Ohio State?

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