Sherrone Moore Leaves the Past Behind as Michigan Moves Aggressively for Ohio Prospects

Ryan Day and Ohio State should be wary. As far as recruiting is concerned, Michigan is a winner. After flipping Bryce Underwood from LSU and winning another 5-star OT in Andrew Babalola, they have put together a top-10 recruiting class in 2025. But Sherrone Moore isn’t stopping at just that. After rendering a huge heartbreak to the Buckeyes in The Game, the Wolverines are set to add salt to the Buckeyes’ wounds on the recruiting front. 

Michigan has its eyes on a pair of Ohio State’s top targets, as Josh Newberg reported on On3 Recruits on January 19. And we’re talking about two four-star CB prospects of the 2026 class—Elbert Hill and Victor Singleton. Hill is the No. 1 CB, No. 17 overall in the class of 2026 out of Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio. Singleton is a Central Catholic HS standout from Toledo, Ohio, and is the No. 6 CB and No. 64 overall player in his class. The good news for the Wolverines is that “they have a shot at both of them,” per Michigan insider EJ Holland. 

There’s an interesting aspect to this Ohio State target interest. As Holland reported, “I think Michigan fans are still scarred from a couple of cycles ago when they went after two Top 100 CBs in Aaron Scott and Bryce West.” This happened in the 2024 recruiting cycle when Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West were top prospects for Ohio State. But Michigan still went ahead to heavily recruit them, but they suffered a blow when the pair ultimately committed to the Buckeyes. 

Could history repeat itself? It could, but there’s also a chance it could change, and that’s because of NIL. Holland added, “I hate to keep pointing back to NIL, but Michigan didn’t have the NIL backing at that time it has now. I think that makes a big difference.” Money wins tougher recruiting battles, and Sherrone Moore already proved that with the $12M recruitment of Bryce Underwood. In addition to the financial benefits, there are more reasons why Michigan could win at least one of these two coveted CBs. 

Sherrone Moore has a good chance to win the recruitment battle 

Sherrone Moore has been keeping himself busy. A couple of days ago, he hosted both Elbert Hill and Victor Singleton in Ann Arbor. Hill is also checking out USC later this month for their Junior Day. And he’s got a lot of options, with Penn State, Ohio State, and Oregon all in the mix. The Buckeyes are considered the favorites to land their elite in-state prospect, but Michigan is definitely making a strong push.

Meanwhile, Singleton’s recruitment is heating up too. On Wednesday, he narrowed down his list to his top five schools. Besides Moore’s and Day’s program, he’s also considering Illinois, Oregon, and Texas A&M. But as far as the leaning is, Michigan may be in a better position to land Singleton because he lives in Toledo, which is closer to Ann Arbor than Hill, who lives in Akron. EJ Holland added intrigue, saying, “He made it to multiple games in the fall. He’s been very active visiting Michigan, being in contact with the staff.”

Now winning Victor Singleton’s commitment could lead to another big success for Sherrone Moore. These highly touted prospects met for the first time after a Michigan camp, and they’ve remained friends since. Per Holland’s report, they visited Ann Arbor this fall together. So, if Singleton becomes a Wolverine, there’s a good chance Hill might follow suit. That was what happened in the 2024 recruiting cycle when Ohio State recruited Bryce West. He became a huge part of the recruiting efforts that eventually brought Aaron Scott to Columbus. 

It’s early to say since they have one more season to make up their mind. But the question is—Can Sherrone Moore achieve what Jim Harbaugh attempted and failed?