Nation's No. 1 LB Tyler Atkinson shows confidence in Sherrone Moore's Michigan despite locking in on a visit to ACC powerhouse Clemson

Five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson has hinted at a vote of confidence for Sherrone Moore’s Michigan in his recruitment. The hint came in a way of a post on X. The Grayson (Lawrenceville, Georgia) prospect posted a picture of himself and the Wolverines linebackers coach Brian Luc Jean-Mary on Tuesday. He wrote the following caption for the post:

“Michigan has a plan for me to check out! They believe in #AtkNup.”

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The picture is from Jean-Mary’s visit to the top linebacker on Tuesday. Atkinson’s reaction to the visit, as seen in the post, is a big boost in confidence for the Wolverines, who face competition in recruiting him. One of the most prominent competitions Michigan face for Atkinson is Clemson.

The five-star prospect is set for an official visit to the program on May 30. This visit follows two unofficial visits in April to Ohio State and USC. He also visited Georgia in March after his initial visit to Clemson in the same month.

But these aren’t Michigan’s biggest worries in the race. Their Big Ten rival, Oregon, has a significant headstart in Atkinson’s recruitment. Dan Lanning and his staff hosted the standout prospect in March, leaving a positive impression on him. He told On3 following the visit,

“Coach Lanning and the entire staff showed me exactly how much they wanted me. The way Oregon embraced and supported my personal brand, “AtkNup” is next level.”

The Ducks have followed that up with a personal visit to Atkinson, according to an On3 report.

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More programs in contest to sign Tyler Atkinson

Interestingly, Georgia is also a leader in Tyler Atkinson's recruitment, as the Bulldogs have reportedly spotted him since he was just fresh out of middle school. Besides, he’s an in-state talent, giving the Dawgs an advantage in this race that the other programs cannot boast of.

Meanwhile, Ohio State has also shown strong interest in Tyler Atkinson, bringing him to Columbus in April. The tussle to sign himbecomes understandable when one considers how highly rated he is. The 6-foot-2, 205 pound linebacker contributed to Grayson’s state championship this past season. He recorded 166 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.

He is the top-ranked prospect out of Georgia, and the No. 7 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also the No. 1 linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.