Michigan Offers 5-Star 2026 DL Jordan Carter

The Wolverines are pursuing a five-star defensive end from SEC territory, sending an offer out to 2026 prospect Jordan Carter on Monday.

Jordan Carter / Jordan Carter

A few months removed from winning the National Championship, Michigan is taking a run at one of the top defenders in the 2026 cycle in Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County five-star defensive end Jordan Carter. On Monday, Carter shared that he landed an offer from the reigning National Champions, and Michigan is now among a deep contingent of college programs clamoring for his pledge. 

I am blessed to receive an 🅾️ffer from The University of Michigan #GoBlue @19Bellamy @CoachJTW @TrenchAcademy @1coachTLindley @Coach_Ken_Quinn @PhenomElite @brandofachamp @DCAthletics1 @ChadSimmons_ @JeremyO_Johnson pic.twitter.com/aJkyDNnTmc

— Jordan“Breeze”Carter (@Jordanbcarter22) May 6, 2024

Currently, Carter holds over 25 offers, and that number is sure to grow after such a dominant sophomore season. Last year, Carter, who checks in at 6-4 and 235 pounds, posted 84 total tackles, 15 sacks and 14 tackles for loss and was the centerpiece for the Tigers’ pass rush a year ago. 

At the moment, Carter is ranked as the No. 2 defensive end in the country according to the 247Sports.com Composite Ranking scale, a position which is good enough for No. 10 overall regardless of position. For a player of Carter’s caliber to pick Michigan, the Wolverines will need to be aggressive in his recruitment since the five-star has already taken recent offseason visits to NC State, Tennessee, Auburn and Florida. 

From the highlight tape posted on his Hudl page, Carter already looks like a menacing force on the defensive line and violently attacks opposing blockers who get in his way. Carter flashes strong hands and forcefully finishes his tackles, even when hitting the quarterback, which is something he did with regularity last season. Douglas County moved Carter into different positions along its defensive line, so he’s shown the ability to rush the passer from the three-tech spot, but he looks more like a strong-side defensive end at the next level. 

Right now, there are no crystal ball predictions for Carter, so the recruiting industry jury is still out on the newest elite U-M target. However, if Carter were to pick the Wolverines, he would be the highest-ranked Michigan defensive line commit since Michigan landed Rashan Gary in 2016. For a more recent comparison, Michigan picked up a commitment from 2025 Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick defensive lineman Nate Marshall two weeks ago, and Marshall is listed as the No. 4 DL in the nation according to the 247Sports.com Composite Ranking. 

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Michigan DL coach Lou Esposito is sure to be involved in this recruitment, but Carter tagged U-M wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy in his offer tweet, suggesting he’s been in contact with Bellamy up to this point. 

What type of defensive line prospects would you like to see Michigan pursuing? Does Jordan Carter fit that bill? Let us know and follow @EricJRutter, @mlounsberry_SI and @BSB_Wolverine on Twitter for more Michigan Athletics updates on Wolverine Digest.