The 2027 recruitment class, anyway, was not looking good for Kyle Whittingham. They are at No.20 with only six commitments. Whittingham further took a hit by losing a blue-chip recruit from Southlake Carroll.

According to On3's Hayes Fawcett's reports, the 6'4", 290-pound interior offensive lineman (IOL) out of Texas, Tristan Dare, decided to decommit from Michigan on March 31. He committed to Michigan last August under the previous head coach, Sherrone Moore, and stayed committed to the Wolverines even after Kyle Whittingham took over the reins. 

Ranked 738 overall, 42nd IOL, and 104th in Texas, the competition was not easy to woo him. But Michigan was able to land Dare, who still has 35 other offers to choose from. 

Looks like Whittingham and the Wolverines were not prepared for this news. Last week, Dare made a trip to Michigan and posted a picture with Whittingham.

"Great time in Ann Arbor!" read the caption.

But what might have led Dare to reconsider his choice? One of the key reasons why he committed to Michigan was offensive line coach Grant Newsome. But when Whittingham took over Michigan, he did not retain Newsome. 

Turns out that the offensive lineman turned down offers to visit Oklahoma, Stanford, and Washington after committing to Michigan.

“I haven’t thought about schools outside of Michigan,” Dare said after Michigan hired Whittingham. 

Dare's decommitment marks the second heartbreak that Whittingham faced in the 2027 recruiting class. In February, the 2027 quarterback recruit Peter Bourque decided to try his luck somewhere else.

Who holds the chance to land Tristen Dare after Kyle Whittingham lost his commitment?

Leaving Whittingham's Michigan, Dare will now have a chance to choose from 35 offers on his table. Out of them, some are early birds who showed interest in Dare when Michigan did not even know that they would be hiring Whittingham.

One of them is Stanford, which offered Dare in March 2025. The academic edge makes Stanford a natural fit, and the Cardinal have been all in from the start. For Whittingham's ex-recruit, Stanford offers the "best of both worlds" for Dare and fits with pro-style offensive line tradition.

Then comes Whittingham and Michigan's arch-rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Before Dare's commitment, Ohio State was the interior offensive lineman's "other" top choice. Given the 2027 recruiting ranking, Ryan Day's Ohio State holds the No.3 spot, and their luck may favor in wooing Dare.

However, the Buckeyes have already landed commitments from IOL Kellen Wymer, Brody McNeel, and Mason Wilt.

Do share your thoughts on whether Kyle Whittingham's Michigan still stands a chance or if Dare is fully out on the Maize and Blue.

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Written by

Samvruth Raj

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar