For a recruit growing up as a Buckeye fan, committing to Michigan should seem preposterous. At least that’s how it’s been for the better part of the last century, especially if Ohio State is pursuing the player aggressively. That didn’t stop a 2028 RB recruit from declaring his love for Michigan, despite visiting Ohio State in March this year.

“They are definitely my number one school after the visit,” Cartae Ligon told Maize n Brew after his recent visit to Ann Arbor. “My visit to Michigan was good, and the experience was amazing. They set the new standard for how visits should be. My relationship with [RBs] coach Alford is very good, and I think he is a very good coach. I can definitely see myself playing for him.”

A native of Chillicothe, Ohio, Cartae Ligon has been a lifelong Buckeye fan. Despite that, he has kept Michigan as his top school even after visiting Ohio State on March 10. The praise largely stems from the impact the Ann Arbor program had on him and from Michigan’s RB room. Standing out in the RB room is Jordan Marshall, and Ligon is in awe of the player.

“I loved practice, and I think I would fit in perfectly,” Ligon said. “All the RBs were pretty good, but Jordan Marshall stood out the most. He’s electric and has crazy footwork. Definitely an RB I look up to.”

Michigan truly has built its reputation on producing elite wideouts, and it is still the program that develops RBs. Blake Corum, for instance, was a standout running back, rushing for over 2,700 yards in just two seasons. He was one of the key players in UM’s 2023 national title win, scoring 27 TDs alone in the season. Then there was Hassan Haskins, who rushed for 1,327 yards in 2021 and scored 20 TDs. And who could forget about UM’s first 1,000-yard rusher in a decade in 2017? For Cartae Ligon, Michigan’s appeal goes even beyond UM’s RB pipeline.

“He said he watched my film, and he really liked everything, but the thing that must have stood out is me being tough,” Ligon said about Tony Alford. “He said he wants tough guys in his running back room, and he said I fit it. We talked for like an hour. It was nice, and he was just telling me all about what they do, how he coaches.”

Despite Kyle Whittingham shaking up much of the UM’s staff, he has retained Tony Alford, who is in his third year coaching RBs in Ann Arbor. Those 34 years worth of coaching experience stand out to recruits. Moreover, for Ligon, Alford’s in-state connection must have stood out, since Alford spent 9 seasons coaching at Ohio State and 5 seasons under Ryan Day as the team’s RBs coach.

“They blew my family and me away,” Ligon told The Michigan Insider. “It was a great visit. The main highlights from the trip have to be watching how Coach Alford coaches his running backs and getting to have a great hour and a half meeting with Coach to learn more about Michigan and his coaching past, and allowing him to learn more about my family and me.”

Ligon is currently the 151st-ranked recruit in the country and the 10th-ranked athlete overall. So far, he has received offers from more than two dozen programs, and the 6-foot, 185-lb two-way player is gradually adding more to his bag. For now, he hasn’t made a decision and is exploring two other major programs apart from Ohio State.

Two programs are giving Michigan tough competition in Cartae Ligon’s recruitment

Cartae Ligon not only plays as a running back but also as a safety in high school. Last season, he racked up a total of 2,580 all-purpose yards and also notched a whopping 70 tackles and 3 interceptions for his high school team. Because of that versatility, he is hearing from bluebloods like Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State. But Notre Dame and Penn State have an edge in his recruitment.

“I’m a pretty elusive back,” Ligon said about his playing style. “I can beat dudes on the outside. I can mix it up with a little bit of power too… Run up the middle, run a guy over, just run for a Touchdown… I can also play Safety on defense [and] lock up their best receiver.”

Last year, Penn State’s interim head coach, Terry Smith, continued his recruitment of Ligon and even spoke with his agent. Smith assured the Ohio native that he was welcome anytime on campus, as Ligon planned to visit the program this winter. “If I can’t go this winter, I’ll probably try to go early spring,” Ligon said at the time. Apart from Penn State, Notre Dame is also pushing hard for Ligon’s commitment.

Ligon visited Notre Dame when the team hosted Syracuse and churned out a dominant 70-7 victory. Notre Dame hasn’t chalked out Ligon’s position yet and wants to see him play one more year of high school ball before finalizing it. Marcus Freeman is still prioritizing recruiting him as the team tries to find Jeremiyah Love’s successor.

“They might just offer me as an athlete, and then once I get to my senior year, see where I am and decide what they want me as,” Ligon said.