Michigan’s football team started the month of June with just five commitments, which put them low on the recruiting services’ team rankings. Just a few weeks later, not only is the standings much clearer, but the Wolverines have also managed to secure seven commitments since then to date.
The board has changed quite a bit since the May edition of our best players list. Many of the players who showed up (even some with low confidence) ended up committing. Of the seven players who committed, we correctly predicted Jaylen Williams, Chase Taylor, Kainoa Winston, Kaden Strayhorn and Donovan Johnson. However, the Marrero (La.) Archbishop Shaw duo of Jasper Parker and Jacob Washington were not on our list.
We got some wrong, too. Michael Carroll went for Alabama, Douglas Utu and Tre Poteat for Tennessee, Jahmari Deloatch for Cincinnati, and Quincy Porter for Ohio State. Several others we had on the list seem to be trending elsewhere, while some surprising names have popped up for the maize and blue this month.
There are a few players who could make it into this class (RB Jordon Davison and WR Derek Meadows), but Michigan will likely end up losing out by a narrow margin.
Now that the composition of the recruiting committee has become much clearer, here is our list of the expected composition of the class through the end of June.
Quarterback Carter Smith
Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Fort Myers (Florida) Bishop Verot
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 161 overall (247Sports Composite)
Smith was instrumental in recruiting some of Michigan football’s recent additions and targets during Victors Weekend, as well as diligently courting the Wolverines’ first 2026 signee, QB Brady Hart.
RB Donovan Johnson
Photo: Matt Houston-HERALD-TRIBUNE
COMMITTED
School: Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy)
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 233 overall (247Sports Composite)
Had Johnson not been sidelined for his entire junior year of high school with a torn ACL, he might have been a five-star prospect. Once ranked in the 40s overall, Johnson had the potential to be the best running back in the 2025 class.
RB Jasper Parker
RB coach Tony Alford. Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Marrero (La.) Archbishop Shaw
Evaluation: 3 stars, No. 442 overall (247Sports Composite)
Parker is the first of the two running backs to commit and has a lot of work to do at the next level.
WR Jacob Washington
WR coach Ron Bellamy. Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Marrero (La.) Archbishop Shaw
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 320 overall (247Sports Composite)
Washington is currently the only wide receiver committed, but at 6-foot-3, he offers the length that Michigan football has sorely lacked in wide receiver recruits over the past few years.
WR Andrew Marsh
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 8 out of 10
School: Fulshear (Tx.) Katy Jordan
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 67 overall (247Sports Composite)
It seemed unlikely that Michigan football could get Marsh since he seemed headed to Oklahoma, but Marsh canceled his trip to Norman and came to Ann Arbor for an official visit instead. All indications are that he will be a Wolverine when he decides in August or November.
Read Marsh’s reaction to the visit here.
WR Phillip Wright
WR coach Ron Bellamy. Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 7 out of 10
School: Destrehan (La.)
Evaluation: 3 stars, No. 514 overall (247Sports Composite)
Last time we had Wright with a confidence of 2/10, but now we are much more confident that the Wolverines will get another Louisiana native in their class.
TE Eli Owens
Brianna Paciorka-Knoxville News Sentinel
COMMITTED
School: Alcoa (Tennessee)
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 399 overall (247Sports overall rating)
Owens has been committed since January and is expected to remain in the class. He has offers from Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee.
TE Andrew Olesh
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 7 out of 10
School: Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 84 overall (247Sports Composite)
Olesh has been leaning toward Michigan for some time, but Alabama is giving him a lot to think about. We’re sticking with Michigan as his dream school.
OL Andrew Babalola
Head coach Sherrone Moore is from Kansas. Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 5 out of 10
School: Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest
Evaluation: 5 stars, No. 14 overall (247Sports Composite)
This is far from a foregone conclusion, Babalola now seems to consider Stanford and Michigan as his two colleges. The Wolverines have been pushing hard on his official visit and it seems he is leaning more toward the maize and blue.
OL Kaden Strayhorn
Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMIT
School: Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy
Evaluation: 3 stars, No. 437 overall (247Sports Composite)
According to one of our predictions last month, Strayhorn has finally turned away from its Spartan heritage and opted for maize green and blue.
OL Avery Gach
Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Birmingham (Mich.) Groves
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 153 overall (Rivals)
Gach just made a strong impression at the Rivals Five-Star Camp and is expected to climb up the rankings as a result of his OL MVP award.
OL Hardy Watts
OL coach Grant Newsome. Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 7 out of 10
School: Brookline (Mass.) Dexter School
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 119 overall (On3)
Watts was originally thought to be leaning toward Clemson, but analysts expect him to choose Michigan football when he makes his decision on July 1.
DL Bobby Kanka
Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Howell (Mich.)
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 357 overall (On3 industry ranking)
It was unclear if Kanka would make the class, and he even visited rival Michigan State. But now he’s back in the fold and has reiterated his promise, so he still seems to have a chance.
DL Nate Marshall
Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Oak Park (Illinois) Fenwick
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 23 overall (Rivals)
Marshall made a surprise visit to Auburn, shocking the Michigan football team, and it seemed like he was backing out of his commitment. But after his official visit, it looks like he’ll likely stay in the class.
DL Jaylen Williams
DL coach Lou Esposito. Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Palatine (Fig.)
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 235 overall (247Sports)
Things had cooled between the Michigan football team and Williams, but shortly after his official visit, he was inducted as the first-year class in June.
EDGE Marco Jones
recruitment
Trust: 5 out of 10
School: Danville (California) San Ramon Valley
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 122 overall (247Sports)
USC has the edge according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, but it looks like he’s headed out of state. Michigan and Texas have as good a chance as anyone, but it remains unclear where he’s trending.
Read our interview with Jones here.
EDGE Julius Holly
DC Wink Martindale. Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 5 out of 10
School: Alpharetta (Georgia)
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 236 overall (On3)
Georgia is ahead in the On3 RPM standings, but Michigan football did a good job visiting and is within striking distance. We have it in the class as of now.
Linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng
Doug McSchooler-Indianapolis Star
Trust: 8 out of 10
School: Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 28 overall (Rivals)
Notre Dame seemed like the team to beat and Ohio State made a strong push, but Owusu-Boateng said of his visit to Ann Arbor, it was his best visit yet. It feels like he’s in the class, but there’s a strong chance he’ll push his recruitment back to either late summer or early signing day to give other teams a chance to get in on the team.
Read Owusu-Boateng’s reactions to the visit here.
LB Chase Taylor
COMMITTED
School: Stockbridge (Georgia)
Evaluation: 3 stars, No. 559 overall (247Sports Composite)
Taylor is committed to Michigan football after his official visit this weekend, and the staff values him much more than his rankings suggest.
LB Kamar Archie
LB coach Brian Jean-Mary. Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 5 out of 10
School: Princeton (NJ) Hun School
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 196 overall (On3)
Michigan played Archie slowly and now Rutgers and Clemson are in the race stronger than they could have been. The Wolverines are still in good shape but have some work to do. We think with some effort they can get there.
S. Kainoa Winston
DB coach LaMar Morgan. Photo: Isaiah Hole
COMMITTED
School: Washington (DC) Gonzaga
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 43 overall (247Sports)
After appearing to lean more towards Penn State, Winston decided to join the Michigan football team after his official visit.
S. Ivan Taylor
Paul Ryan-Leesburg Daily Commercial
Trust: 5 out of 10
School: Winter Garden (Florida) West Orange
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 41 overall (247Sports)
Taylor, who committed to Notre Dame, officially attended Michigan football and appears to be seriously considering transferring. At this point, we believe he’s more likely to land in the class than JaDon Blair.
S Jordan Young
Trust: 5 out of 10
School: Monroe (North Carolina)
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 36 overall (On3)
Will Michigan take three safeties? Since they’re not getting the corners they want, that’s a possibility. Young isn’t necessarily leaning toward Michigan, but he had a good visit and the Wolverines have a chance.
CB Alex Graham
Dennis Maffezzoli – Herald-Tribune
Trust: 5 out of 10
School: Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 131 overall (Rivals)
The Cass Tech star from Detroit, Michigan, who transferred to the IMG Academy, chose Colorado and eventually visited Ann Arbor in June. Knowing the program and the cornerback needs at Michigan, it would not be a surprise to see Graham follow in the footsteps of many of his IMG teammates and play in Ann Arbor.
CB Shamari Earls
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Trust: 4 out of 10
School: Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale
Evaluation: 4 stars, No. 68 overall (247Sports)
Georgia picked South Carolina and it seems like it has the momentum for Earls. But with no other viable CB targets right now, we have him in the class, just with little confidence. He visited in June.
