Sherrone Moore seals massive win over Lincoln Riley & Kirby Smart as Michigan acquires 6' 4" 245 pound DL in 2026 recruiting cycle

Four-star edge rusher McHale Blade committed to Michigan's 2026 class on Monday. The Simeon High School (Chicago, Illinois) standout picked Sherrone Moore's program over Notre Dame, USC and Nebraska.

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Blade’s lead recruiter was Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound prospect made an official visit to Ann Arbor over the weekend and gave his commitment just a day after returning home.

“When me my parents and I got home, we talked about it and I knew,” Blade said (via On3). “I didn’t see myself taking anymore visits. I slept on it and when I got up Monday morning, I locked in and committed to coach Espo (Lou Esposito) and coach Moore. They were fired up.”

Blade had been planning a visit to Notre Dame this coming weekend, but after committing, he shut down his recruitment and now only intends to return to Michigan. He is the No. 21 edge rusher in the 2026 class and the No. 4 recruit in Illinois, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

McHale Blade opens up about his commitment to Michigan

McHale Blade made five visits to Michigan, including one for spring practice on April 12. Notre Dame hosted him more frequently than any other program, but he ultimately chose to commit to Michigan.

In a conversation with On3, Blade explained his decision:

“From day one, Michigan has been a top school. They have the best of both worlds with the academic piece and the NFL development. The Chicago to Michigan pipeline is real. I know guys there and I want to keep that pipeline going. Michigan is where I want to be.

“Michigan stands for excellence. Everything they do, they strive for excellence. The players are striving to be great. The coaches do the same. That is what Michigan stands for.”

Blade becomes the second edge rusher to commit to Michigan’s 2026 recruiting class, joining three-star Tariq Boney, who pledged on Apr. 26. The Wolverines now have eight committed players in the cycle, ranking No. 15 in the nation.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by Nadim El Kak