What the commitments of Jacob Washington and Chase Taylor mean for Michigan Football

Michigan’s football program is looking for young players.

After the Wolverines signed two players from the same school on Sunday, namely 4-star running back Donovan Johnson and 3-star offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn from IMG Academy, they were able to add two more young players to their 2025 class on Monday.

Jacob Washington, a 4-star receiver from Marrero (Louisiana) Archbishop Shaw, was the first to announce his decision, before Chase Taylor, a 3-star linebacker from Stockbridge (Georgia), followed suit earlier in the evening.

Here’s what their commitments mean for Michigan:

– Both players fill positions of need. The Wolverines had not signed a rookie to play either position prior to Monday. Michigan’s current roster lacks size and length at the outside position, but Washington fits that criteria at 6-foot-3. He plays in a run-heavy offense at Shaw, but will bring size and speed to the Wolverines’ receiver room. He is the 320th-ranked rookie overall and the 45th-ranked receiver nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

– Taylor is the first recruiting success for new linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary. He is the lowest-ranked recruit in Michigan’s 12-man class, with the No. 583 overall pick, but possesses intriguing size at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. With his length, he is versatile enough to play a variety of positions in Michigan’s defense.

– Relationships are crucial in recruiting, and that was especially true for Washington. His high school coach, Hank Tierney, coached Michigan receivers coach Ron Bellamy 25 years ago, and the two are still close. Bellamy played a leading role in the signing of three-star running back Jasper Parker from Shaw earlier this month and then from Washington on Monday. Tierney told MLive last week that Washington could follow Parker’s commitment if Michigan made a strong push to sign him, and the Wolverines did so during his official visit last weekend. After Shaw lost its first two games in 2023, Parker and Washington helped the team reel off 10 straight wins before falling in the state championship semifinals.

RELATED: What Michigan gets with the signing of running back Jasper Parker

– Michigan began the week with a class of 2025 ranked outside the top 30 nationally, but shot up to No. 15 with four new additions. With Sherrone Moore’s team, the Wolverines are making serious progress in recruiting and are coming off one of their best months in recent memory. They picked up eight commitments in June, including their first for the class of 2026 in four-star quarterback Brady Hart – a top 100 prospect.

– There could be more good news to come. Michigan is a finalist for four-star offensive lineman Hardy Watts, who will announce his decision on July 1, and four-star defensive lineman Maxwell Roy, who will also commit in the next few weeks. Both took official visits to Ann Arbor during Victors Weekend on June 21-22.