For Kyle Whittingham, the transition to a new program was not easy, especially when the stakes were already high with Sherrone Moore’s firing. When he took over, he brought in his Utah players and coaches, along with other staff members, and despite the pressure, Whittingham has scored a massive win on the transfer portal, securing his first 2027 class commit from Morgan Park.

Darrell Mattison, a four-star safety from Chicago, has committed to Michigan. He is the first player to commit to Kyle Whittingham for the 2027 class. Mattison picked Michigan over top programs like Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and Penn State, which makes this win even more meaningful for Whittingham.

After two decades out West, Kyle Whittingham had to prove he could recruit traditional Big Ten territory. Pulling a top-tier Chicago prospect right out of the gate answers that question. It signals that his staff has the ability to quickly cope, adjust, adapt, and lock down the Midwest.

So, what exactly made the difference? Well, Kyle Whittingham’s offseason mostly went into adding players from the portal and building chemistry with the new staff. But despite all the hustle, he showed a visible interest in Mattison, and that effort stood out to him.

“I knew the first day they came (they were serious),” Mattison said. “They told me straight up what I had to do. A week prior, Coach (Tyler) Stockton, our safeties coach, came. Then, a week later, the defensive coordinator, the head coach, and everybody came to see me. That’s when I said, okay, y’all are for real about this.”

Mattison is a 6-foot-2, 160-pound guy with a 247Sports ranking of the No. 243 player in the country and the 23rd-best safety. Mattison stood out to recruiters because of his strength and ability to make plays on the ball, which made him one of the best defensive players in the Midwest. In high school, he switched from receiver to defensive back and adapted quickly without issue. That’s what became his strength.

“You’re going to see a dog,” Mattison said. “I’m a ball hawk. I came from the receiver, so I don’t really drop a lot of (balls). I’m coming down; I’m striking you. I’m hitting you as hard as I can every play. I’m just one of a kind. I’m one of one.”

Mattison is a big win for Michigan because he comes from Chicago, which is close to Ann Arbor. Getting talented players from Chicago is always helpful for recruiting. He might also help Michigan attract more top players from the Chicago area in the future.

Now, his interest in joining Michigan makes sense, as they have had several very good safeties in recent years, including Rod Moore, Daxton Hill, Josh Metellus, Makari Paige, and Jabrill Peppers. Even though Peppers played multiple positions, he spent time at safety and helped the team. So, the pipeline is strong. On top of that, Kyle Whittingham’s former team, Utah, also had talented safety players like Eric Weddle (All‑Pro safety) and Jaylon Johnson.

With his commitment secured, Mattison’s upcoming June official visits shift from a pitch to a strategy session. He will serve as a peer recruiter, helping Whittingham use this early momentum to bring in other elite targets for the team.

Kyle Whittingham eyes Illinois QB commit

Michigan is still looking for a quarterback for its 2027 class and has made Kamden Lopati a top target. Lopati is a four-star quarterback from Salt Lake City and is currently committed to Illinois. Michigan became more interested in him after another quarterback, Peter Bourque, decommitted.

Lopati is 6-foot-3 and weighs 215 pounds, which gives him a strong build for a quarterback. Even his production is very elite, as in his junior season, he threw for 2,671 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also ran for 730 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns. His ability to both pass and run makes him one of the top quarterbacks in his class.

He knows the Michigan coaches well because they worked at Utah before. This helped them build a strong relationship.

“I’ve been able to build a good relationship with Coach Detmer and Coach Beck. When they were in Utah, my school was a couple of miles from the university,” Lopati said to TMI. “We’ve had some really solid conversations, and I appreciate how genuine and honest they’ve been with me and my family throughout the process. They’ve taken the time to get to know me not just as a player but as a person, which means a lot.”

Because of this strong connection, Lopati plans to visit Michigan two times soon. He will first go to Ann Arbor from April 3 to 5 and then return again for Victors Weekend from June 19 to 21. These visits will help Michigan build a better relationship with him and may give them a chance to change his commitment.