Kyle Whittingham hasn’t coached his first game at Michigan yet, but he already is making his presence felt in local recruiting circles.
Whittingham added a second Mount Carmel star to his 2027 class when defensive back Tavares Harrington announced his commitment on Rivals’ YouTube channel May 22.
Harrington is the consensus No. 7 player in his class in Illinois and the No. 124 player nationally. Less than 10 days earlier, Caravan wide receiver Quentin Burrell — ranked No. 6 in Illinois and No. 83 nationally — also committed to the Wolverines.
In his video announcement, Harrington said his decision came down to Michigan’s ‘‘coaching staff, [including] the defensive coordinator, coach [Jay] Hill. They did a great job of recruiting me. They came to see me a lot this spring.’’
A 6-3, 180-pounder, Harrington had three interceptions, six tackles for loss, a sack and 50 tackles for Class 8A champion Mount Carmel last fall. He also made an impact on special teams, blocking a field goal.
His other finalists from among more than 40 schools making scholarship offers were Alabama, Ole Miss and Notre Dame.
Analyzing Harrington’s decision on the YouTube video, On3/Rivals vice president Steve Wiltfong called him ‘‘one of the jewels of the [2027] class.’’
‘‘He comes down and plays in the box, he can play nickel, he can play corner,’’ Wiltfong said. ‘‘He loves Jay Hill’s defense. … He thinks he can blossom and become the best version of himself in that secondary at Michigan.’’
After a wave of recent commitments, the top in-state recruits still on the board for 2027 are Caravan linebacker Roman Igwebuike, who is ranked No. 8; East St. Louis cornerback Raheem Floyd, who’s No. 9; and Brother Rice defensive lineman Brayden Parks at No. 10.
Mattison picks Ole Miss
One player who got away from Michigan is Morgan Park defensive back Darrell Mattison, who committed to the Wolverines in March before decommitting about a month later.
Mattison, the No. 14 player in Illinois’ 2027 class, followed up Harrington’s announcement by committing to Ole Miss in the same video.
Ryan Field to host rivalry
Northwestern’s new Ryan Field will play host to one of the oldest and best rivalries in the state when Evanston and New Trier square off Oct. 16.
Trevians quarterback Jackie Ryder, a Purdue commit, and his teammates got the news last week from coach Brian Doll during a morning workout.
‘‘When he said we were playing Evanston at Ryan Field, it was pretty shocking,’’ Ryder told the Sun-Times. ‘‘I think it’s going to be pretty packed.’’
Evanston’s and New Trier’s football teams started playing each other in 1913. The Wildkits lead the series 57-54 with six ties.
Northwestern also will be hosting the schools during the basketball season. Evanston and New Trier will play a boys/girls doubleheader on Feb. 5, 2027, at Welsh-Ryan Arena.