"They are already recruiting me hard": 2026 class prospect Zech Fort reflects on Michigan's interest to recruit him

Four-star prospect Zech Fort from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, announced his top 13 schools on Friday. The Michigan Wolverines made the list alongside Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami, UCLA, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska and Washington.

Michigan's recruitment efforts at IMG Academy have been fruitful recently, landing running back Donovan Johnson and offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn for the 2025 class. These two prospects are also working on convincing Fort to join them.

“They are already recruiting me hard. Michigan is getting some dawgs," Fort told On3. "Both of them are great players. It would be really cool to play with them again.”

Fort already received an offer from the Wolverines and visited the campus over the past year. However, the Wolverines' coaching scenario saw major changes with head coach Jim Harbaugh's move to the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite this shakeup, Michigan's new secondary coach, LaMar Morgan, reaffirmed the program's interest in Fort, reaching out to re-offer him.

“It was great to hear from him," Fort said. "He told me that I still had an offer. I’m looking forward to building my relationship with Coach Morgan. He seemed like a cool person.”

Coach Morgan has already expressed a strong interest in having Fort revisit the campus soon. Fort himself is keen on returning to the program and hopes to connect with the new defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale.

Securing Zech Fort would be a huge boost to new head coach Sherrone Moore's 2025 recruiting class, which already includes four-star safety Kainoa Winston. With 13 commitments, the class is currently ranked No. 20 in the nation and No. 7 in the Big Ten.

Alabama trending to earn Zech Fort's commitment

With over 30 offers on the table, Zech Fort's potential commitment to Alabama is currently pegged at 21.7% by On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Alabama's pursuit of Fort dates back to last January when it first extended an offer. Despite the coaching transition following Nick Saban's retirement, new head coach Kalen DeBoer's staff has maintained their focus on securing his commitment.

"I’ll say my relationship with new staff at Alabama is great,” Fort said (via Touchdown Alabama). “Our relationship is constantly growing. I’m talking to coach (Colin) Hitschler, coach Kevin Green. My relationship with Alabama is constantly growing. I feel like since coach Nick Saban retired, I haven’t lost a beat or skipped a beat with Alabama.”

Michigan follows closely behind with 19.0%, while USC and Ohio State trail with 11.0% and 9.2%, respectively. Fort has also shown interest in Florida State, making several unofficial visits to Tallahassee.

Zech Fort is ranked as the No. 10 safety, the No. 18 player in Florida and the No. 100 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. 247 Sports lists him as the No. 2 safety, the No. 20 player in Florida and the No. 45 overall prospect.

As a MaxPreps Freshman All-American in 2022, Fort recorded 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and one sack. He also made history as the first freshman to be named a team captain at IMG Academy.