The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 49 ❱ PREP PROFILES Michigan hosted fast-rising 2025 linebacker Parker Meese for a visit in mid-March, and head coach Jim Har- baugh personally extended him an offer before he left Ann Arbor. Needless to say, it was a special mo- ment for the Dallas Parish Episcopal product. "It was exciting," Meese said. "My dad and I were with Coach Harbaugh, and he offered me. I looked at my dad and was like, 'This is not real.' Michi- gan is such a great team to get an offer from. Getting an offer from any coach is amazing, but if you get it from the head coach, it really means something." Harbaugh impressed Meese with both his personality and coaching style. "Coach Harbaugh is a great guy," Meese said. "He's funny and great to be around. He was always interacting with the team. He's not a coach that sits back and watches. He interacts with his play- ers and teaches them how to get better." Meese also had a chance to connect with new Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge and area recruiter Mike Elston. "Coach Partridge is a straight, honest guy," Meese said. "He's going to tell you the truth. He said he's going to keep in contact with my parents. He said my parents can call him any time of the day. Coach Elston came up to my school at 6 a.m. when he saw me. It was great to see him again. I have a great relationship with him as well." Meese added that he was impressed with the way Partridge worked with the linebackers at practice and sees him- self as a potential fit in U-M's defensive scheme. "I loved how they practice," Meese said. "They are a really physical team. They were hitting and bumping heads. It was fun to watch. I look like a line- backer that they would have on their team. I feel like I could be a fit based off how their linebackers were playing and how they looked." Overall, Meese was impressed with everything Michigan had to offer both on and off the field. "They combined the old with the new at Michigan," Meese said. "The cam- pus is really nice. The school is amaz- ing. They have one of the best business schools in the country. Everything up there is amazing. They have one of the biggest weight rooms in the country, too. All the stuff for the players is really nice." Along with Michigan, Meese has of- fers from Arkansas, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Meese is not yet ranked but was one of the most productive underclassman linebackers nationally. Meese racked up 70 tackles and was named a MaxPreps Sophomore All-American in 2022. — EJ Holland David Sanders is already one of the most wanted prospects in the 2025 re- cruiting class. The elite offensive lineman out of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day holds early offers from Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas A&M. Right now, however, he is still taking it all in. At 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, Sanders is ranked as the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted ranking of all four major recruiting media services. "Recruiting has been really good," Sanders said. "When it was the live pe- riod, there were a lot of coaches up and down the school. I got to talk to a lot of different coaches, which was cool. I don't have any visits set in stone, but I'm working on scheduling some." One school that is likely to receive a spring visit is Michigan, which was ac- tually the first school to offer Sanders. "I want to go up there on a visit soon just to see the campus, meet all the coaches and things like that," Sanders said. "Michigan will definitely get a visit once I set everything up for the spring. I'm excited to check them out." The NCAA restricts contact with 2025 recruits, but Sanders has had a couple of conversations with offensive line coach Sherrone Moore and wide re- ceivers coach Ron Bellamy, who swung by Providence Day during the winter live period. "They've expressed their interest in me and how much they like watching me play," Sanders said. "They just want to get me up there for a visit. I'm excited to build more of a relationship with the offensive line coach. They had the best offensive line two years in a row, which is a big deal for me because that's the position I play." While Sanders has no family ties to the Michigan program, he does work closely with one of the best to ever don the winged helmet. Former U-M offen- sive lineman and Super Bowl champion Jonathan Goodwin, who played under Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh in the NFL, is the offensive line coach at Providence Day and has helped Sanders elevate his game over the last several years. While Goodwin hasn't lobbied Sand- ers toward Ann Arbor, he does serve as a valuable point of reference. "He kind of lets me make my own de- cision," Sanders said. "He doesn't push the Michigan subject too much. He's going to respect wherever I go. Working with him is like working with a profes- sional. A lot of guys pay for trainers, but I text him, and he always works out with me. He's so knowledgeable. I'm very grateful for him." — EJ Holland Sophomore All-America Linebacker From Texas Impressed By U-M Michigan Is First School To Offer Top-Rated 2025 Offensive Tackle ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Providence Day School Charlotte, N.C. Class: 2025 Position: Offensive tackle Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 250 On3 Rankings: No. 1 player in North Carolina, and No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 6 prospect nationally ❱ David Sanders (Not yet rated) Parish Episcopal School Frisco, Texas Class: 2025 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 215 On3 Rankings: N/R ❱ Parker Meese