The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 57 ❱ PREP PROFILES Michigan landed a commitment from Princeton (N.J.) Hun School product Owen Wafle in the 2024 cycle and is now turning its attention to his prep teammate Kole Briehler. The On300 2025 defensive lineman notched an offer from Michigan this summer, and he was fired up. "That was definitely huge for me," Briehler said. "I was really pumped about it. I was on the phone with Coach [Grant] Newsome, and he put me on with Coach [Mike] Elston. I had a really good conversation with them. "Owen was super pumped. Another one of our captains committed to Mich- igan for lacrosse. They really want me to go there." Both area recruiter Newsome and de- fensive line coach Elston stopped by the Hun School during the spring evalua- tion period and are starting to build a relationship with Briehler. "They told me they wanted to offer me in the spring but were focused on getting Owen to commit," Briehler said. "They've been watching me for a while and really like me. They were en- ergetic about talking to me. It was really good to talk to them." Newsome and Elston will receive a boost from Wafle, who is already at work recruiting Briehler to Ann Arbor. "Owen has told me how good every- one is at Michigan and how much he's learned talking to the coaches," Briehler said. "He wants us to go there and play more football together. It would be amazing to play with him." Overall, Briehler said Michigan is al- ready a strong contender in his recruit- ment. "I have them toward the top of my list," Briehler said. "I like the winning culture that they have there. Everyone there is a really hard worker. The coach- ing staff seems great. It's a great football team historically." The next step for Briehler is making his first-ever trip to Ann Arbor, which he hopes will take place at some point this fall. "My family and I want to get out for a game this year," Briehler said. "I defi- nitely want to see the facilities. I want to see them play in person. The stadium is the biggest in college football, so I know it would be crazy." Along with Michigan, Briehler has offers from Boston College, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, USC, West Virginia and others. Per the On3 Industry Ranking, the 6-foot-2, 263-pound Briehler is ranked as the No. 37 defensive lineman and No. 335 overall prospect nationally. He is also ranked as the No. 11 overall pros- pect in New Jersey next cycle. — EJ Holland Michigan extended an offer to Kamar Archie more than a year ago. Since then, the Top 100 linebacker out of the Princeton (N.J.) Hun School has established himself as one of the most wanted prospects in the 2025 recruiting class. Archie has taken a slow approach to the process and has hardly made any visits so far. However, he is gearing up to take re- cruiting more seriously and is looking to make his first trip to Michigan. "I'm hoping to get there for a visit soon," Archie said. "We mostly play on Saturdays. If I can't get to a game, I re- ally want to go there for a junior day or something like that. I want to see what the linebackers and tailbacks do and meet with the coaches." While Archie is a highly touted line- backer, he also starts at running back for Hun School. Michigan has had plenty of success with two-way players, including fellow New Jersey product Jabrill Pep- pers, a unanimous All-American in 2016. And that's been a big selling point from U-M linebackers coach Chris Partridge. "Coach Partridge said he likes me on both sides of the ball," Archie said. "He said that I could be used like Jabrill Peppers. I know they have really good running backs like Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. They also have good backers. I'm excited about that." Partridge has made Archie a top overall priority for the next cycle and has been in constant contact since Aug. 1, the date college coaches were allowed to reach out to high school juniors. "Coach Partridge is a great guy," Ar- chie said. "He's always texting me and sending me stuff about the school. He's really trying to get me up there. I do want to get up there and meet with him. I like him a lot." Partridge is also getting a boost from Michigan defensive line commit Owen Wafle, who plays with Archie at Hun. "He's always on me," Archie said. "He tells me about Michigan and how nice it is. He's going to play a part in my recruit- ment with Michigan because we are really tight." The Wolverines will be a factor in his college choice. "Michigan is definitely a top school in my recruitment," Archie said. "It's kind of hard to decide on top schools since I haven't been to many places, but I can say Michigan is up there." Along with Michigan, Archie has offers in hand from Alabama, Clemson, Geor- gia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee and others. At 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, Archie also is ranked as the No. 22 linebacker and No. 196 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted aver- age of the four major recruiting services. — EJ Holland U-M Is A Strong Contender For New Jersey Defensive Lineman 2025 Jersey Linebacker Is Compared To Jabrill Peppers ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Hun School Princeton, N.J. Class: 2025 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 230 On3 Rankings: No. 4 player in New Jersey, and No. 15 linebacker and No. 90 overall prospect nationally ❱ Kamar Archie ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Hun School Princeton, N.J. Class: 2025 Position: Defensive lineman Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 263 On3 Rankings: No. 11 player in New Jersey and No. 33 defensive line prospect nationally ❱ Kole Briehler