Michigan landed the top running back in the 2026 class and he’s already been making an impression on Wolverines running backs coach Tony Alford.
Alford was on the In The Trenches podcast with Jon Jansen and broke down what Hiter brings to the Wolverines.
“I think you’re getting an exceptionally explosive – like off-the-charts, explosive – athlete,” Alford said. “Powerful kid when he moves. You watch him just doing some drill work or conditioning, and he’ll make a cut and change direction. It’s impressive. Now, with that being said, I don’t want to get too far off the ledge here, because I don’t want to start putting expectations on this young guy that all of a sudden, if they’re not met immediately, he’s thinking a certain way about himself. And so there’s a fine line there. There’s a fine line of letting him go and pushing him.”
Hiter, who’s six-feet tall and 210 pounds, ranked as the No. 21 overall player in the 2026 class and No. 2 running back. Hiter rushed for 1,440 yards and 24 touchdowns in his senior season despite missing three games. Hiter has a rare balance of bruising power and eltite speed.
Alford made a point that Hiter doesn’t need to be ready to play here today in February — we’re still long away from Michigan’s season opener on Sept. 5 versus Western Michigan. Even the most talented of high school recruits need time to get acclimated to the speed and intricacies of Big Ten football.
“We’re just going to keep moving him forward in a very methodical fashion,” Alford said. “But I think he’s got a chance to be a special player. Time will tell him. But up to this point, just watching him move and interact and do things in the way he learns, he’s got a good football IQ. He retains information very, very well, which is good.”
Alford said that Hiter is the type of player who will go back and fix a mistake without being told to go do it again.
“Here’s what I love about him the most — he’s not a typical wide-eyed freshman,” Alford said. “I mean, he comes in, and he’s kind of like an alpha right now. And he wants to compete at a high level.”
Hiter’s role in 2026 is to be determined, as Michigan has an excellent lead back in Jordan Marshall who rushed for 932 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Further, Michigan has a capable backup in former walk-on Bryson Kuzdzal who rushed for 326 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. However, if Hiter performs even remotely close to his high school highlights, he’s destined for greatness sooner than later.