After a lot of talks, Michigan has finally made the cut in the recruitment race for five-star 2027 CB Joshua Dobson. Until May, LSU’s Lane Kiffin was considered a favorite to land the Cornelius, North Carolina standout. Then, Rivals RPM favored another SEC team for securing this 5-star. But now Kyle Whittingham’s team has finally got a positive update on this CB target.

“Joshua Dobson is the highest-ranked recruit considering Michigan right now,” said Ethan McDowell, recruiting reporter for The Wolverine, during his May 26 appearance on Rivals with Josh Newberg. ” Number six recruit in the country, number two cornerback nationally. Another guy, Joshua—I’ve been harping on it on our site. And I think Michigan is a little bit slept on in his recruitment. Frankly, he felt the same when I went and visited him in North Carolina.”

Kyle Whittingham’s coaching staff, including new CBs coach Jernaro Gilford, made Dobson a top priority for the 2027 cycle, making an in-home visit in North Carolina. However, securing this 5-star CB talent won’t be easy for Michigan because it has to compete with programs like Auburn, Texas A&M, and South Carolina for his commitment. Interestingly, the Aggies have a 60.1% chance to land this 5-star 2027 talent, via Rivals RPM.

While other programs have expressed their desire to recruit Dobson, McDowell stated that the CB himself is shocked the Wolverines are not the favorites.

“He had just included the Wolverines in his top group and was telling me he doesn’t know why more people aren’t talking about Michigan with him right now, and he backed that up by swapping out LSU, a school that many thought led for him at one point early in the cycle,” said McDowell.

Dobson cancelled his highly anticipated June 12 official visit to LSU. Instead, he has scheduled his official visit to Michigan.

“For Michigan on that June 12th weekend, I mean, that’s a huge, huge visit weekend. It’ll be his parents’ first opportunity to see campus. He went up with his grandma earlier this year, and they left a really good impression. Michigan’s combination of academics and athletics is something that is really intriguing for him, and I think they might be the biggest challenger at this point going into visits.”

After April 16’s unofficial spring visit to Ann Arbor,  the upcoming visit will be his second campus visit. However, he was already impressed after his first visit, which is what probably led to cancelling the LSU visit.

“They shocked me,” Dobson said while speaking to the Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “The academics, alumni network, and overall fit really impressed me up there. I am working to get back up there for an official visit. We have talked about the middle of May, but it is not set up yet.”

If Michigan can once again impress the 6’1″ and 185-pound CB talent, he will boost the already loaded secondary of the 2027 class, which has Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, and more.

Last season, at Catawba Ridge, Dobson recorded 48 tackles and 10 pass breakups as a sophomore before transferring to Hough High School for his senior year. He showed his prowess in the 100-meter dash as well, where he posted 10.78 sec on the track. Dobson also has impressive timings in the 200 and 400-meter races.

This multi-sport athlete could be a perfect fit for Michigan, but landing him would be tough considering the SEC push.

Kyle Whittingham has to beat Mike Elko to get this CB

Another team that has actively tried recruiting Dobson is Texas A&M, who have shown interest in the CB for a long time. Despite that, recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong favored LSU. Following Dobson’s decision to cancel his LSU visit, Texas A&M cemented its position. And after reports emerged that LSU hit financial limits regarding NIL, Mike Elko’s chance to secure this 5-star talent has been enhanced. Even Wiltfong echoed that sentiment.

“I’m close to moving my prediction from LSU to Texas A&M for five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson,” wrote Wiltfong. “I think that better represents the pulse going into summer official visits…Dobson has visited College Station several times, loves the staff, fellow 2027 recruits, and the Aggies look to be in the strongest shape.”

Texas A&M’s 2027 class has 13 commitments; now it is preparing to make it 14, as Dobson has scheduled his official visit on June 5. However, the Gamecocks, located close to Dobson’s former high school, haven’t sat quietly; they are also pushing hard. Now, Kyle Whittingham has to fight a tough battle to land this 2027 CB talent.