Michigan football appeared to be in decent standing, but on the outside looking in, for one of its top targets, with Notre Dame being in the pole position for an elite prospect out of the Chicagoland area.

The Wolverines have landed their first recruit of the summer and if last year's pace is any indication, there's plenty more where that came from.

Michigan football has added a four-star recruit in the 2026 class as Chicago Simeon defensive end McHale Blade announced for the Wolverines on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Blade chose Michigan over Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Purdue and USC primarily, but had more than 30 scholarship offers.