Michigan offers 2026 four-star OT Claude Mpouma after his first year of football

Michigan football recently offered Claude Mpouma less than a full year after he began playing the sport. The four-star tackle stands at 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, coming out of Mount Carmel High in Chicago (Ill.). 

I’m blessed to announce that I received an offer to play football at the university of Michigan.@grant_newsome @AllenTrieu @SWiltfong_ @EDGYTIM @GregSmithRivals @cottond13 . pic.twitter.com/cIKnnfMqe2

— Claude Mpouma (@claude_mpouma) January 30, 2025

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Claude Mpouma discusses Michigan OL coach Grant Newsome

Mpouma is the No. 5 OT in the class of 2026 and the best player in Illinois, per On3’s industry rankings. Mpouma was in Ann Arbor on Thursday, and he visited Nebraska on Friday, according to McDowell. Along with Michigan, he has offers from several high level programs such as Oklahoma, USC and others. 

Mpouma told On3’s Ethan McDowell ($) that Michigan offensive line coach Grant Newsome is in constant contact with him.

“He’s a great guy,” Mpouma said. “Obviously, he’s a great person. I really like how he is always trying to talk to me, always making sure everything’s alright with me, always checking in on me. As a person, I really like him, and I think he is also a great coach because I heard a lot of good things about him and his work.”

The Cornhuskers are the favorite to land Mpouma with a 68.3 percent chance to do so (On3). 

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