Kyle Whittingham’s arrival not only helps Michigan with player retention for the 2026 season but also creates a positive outlook for future recruits. Following that, the Wolverines hosted a 2027 4-star Alabama commit this Tuesday at the start of their spring practice. And the outcome of that visit from the Lawrenceville School standout signals his true intentions for Whittingham’s program.

“They hosted Alabama tight end commit Colt Lumpris. A really intriguing prospect,” said The Wolverine‘s Ethan McDow during his Thursday appearance on Rivals with Josh Newberg. “He’s 6’6” and a half and plays three sports. He’s a star on the lacrosse field as well and just an exciting prospect who committed to Alabama in December.

“But he’s going to look around at a few other schools, and Michigan is one of those programs,” added McDow. “He’s expressed interest in an OV before. We’ll see if this visit went well enough to lock in one of those trips, but from what I’ve heard early on, it was a good visit, and we’ll just see how that relationship continues to build.”

It simply suggests Michigan is pushing quite hard to land this Alabama TE commit. In fact, if Whittingham and his staff are able to build a strong connection and check the boxes he wants, there’s a huge possibility of a flip because Lumpris has an interest in the Wolverines. In addition, the Wolverines’ head coach has brought in his brother, Freddie Whittingham, from Utah as the TEs’ coach for Michigan, and his track record could tempt the 4-star 2027 TE.

During his 14-year tenure at Utah, out of which he spent ten years as the tight end coach, Freddie established the program as “Tight End U” by consistently producing elite TEs like Dalton Kincaid, Brant Kuithe, and more. With this kind of talent on display, he even earned the 2022 FootballScoop Tight Ends Coach of the Year award.

Still, flipping this 4-star commit won’t be easy for Kyle Whittingham, because Alabama is Lumpris’ dream school. On top of that, Kalen DeBoer and his staff left the 2027 prospect impressed.

“It fit all the boxes I’ve been looking for,” said Lumpris during his commitment. “They’ve always been my dream school since I was little. I know as soon as I got there it was right for me. I was looking for a family feeling in a school. Also have to have good academics because I go to a highly academic school right now.”

He has scheduled an official visit to Alabama for May 29–31. The most intriguing part is that despite the four-star TE committing to the Tide, the school has continued to stay in touch and make him understand his value. That’s why the Tide’s new TEs coach, Richard Owens, reached out to him.

“His message was that I’m a huge priority still for them,” said Lumpris. “They think I’m a great player all around. I think he’s a good guy. I haven’t really talked to him a bunch, but I can feel the relationship building.”

But if Whittingham can flip this Alabama commit, he will bring talent, because as a junior, he recorded 44 receptions for 812 yards. Still, the recruiting race is no longer just between Alabama and Michigan anymore.

Kyle Whittingham has to fight a tough battle to secure this TE talent

Colt Lumpris, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound athlete with a 4.7-second 40-yard dash, has the kind of size and speed that Matt Campbell needs. That’s why Penn State is making a serious push to land the 2027 TE.

“They talked to me about potentially playing receiver, in their eyes, and how it’s just about the mismatch,” said Lumpris after a visit to Penn State. “There aren’t a bunch of schools that have been talking about receiver. UCLA has, but Penn State also brought it up, and I really like that idea and how they said they would utilize me.”

Although flipping Lumpris from Alabama won’t be a cakewalk, PSU has one key advantage. The 2027 TE has made at least five trips to State College. Adding to the complexity is the recent coaching shuffle at Alabama. Bryan Ellis, the coach to whom Lumpris committed, is moving from tight ends to quarterbacks, and PSU sees this as an opening to sway the elite prospect.

“We’ve been texting pretty much every day, whether it was about basketball or literally anything. It doesn’t even feel like recruiting at times. It’s more about us trying to get to know each other, which I feel is great,” stated Lumpris.

“Penn State has always felt like a home every time I go there. I used to watch Penn State growing up, so I’ve always wanted to go there. At one point, I thought I was gonna go there,” he added. “But the new coaching staff is also really great, and it’s the same Penn State that I remember.”

To make matters worse for Kyle Whittingham, the 4-star TE has scheduled an official visit to PSU for June 19–21. But to secure this TE talent, Michigan has to beat both Alabama and Penn State.