The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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68 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2024 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ BY ZACH LIBBY T he new era for Michigan football under head coach Sherrone Moore begins with the 2025 recruiting cycle, where the reigning national champions have three verbal commits as of Feb. 20. The trio is led by Ft. Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith, On3's No. 112 overall prospect and No. 9 signal-caller in the country. He is joined by Bobby Kanka of Howell (Mich.) High, the No. 35 defensive lineman, and Eli Owens of Alcoa (Tenn.) High, the na- tion's No. 24 tight end prospect, also according to On3. Several other 2025 recruits are being prioritized and are currently trending toward Michigan, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), the industry's first algorithm and ma- chine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. The following is a look at the five prospects Michigan is considered a fa- vorite to land in the 2025 cycle: DB ALEX GRAHAM BRADENTON (FLA.) IMG ACADEMY Graham is originally from the Detroit area, having spent his first two years of high school at Cass Tech. He transferred to IMG Academy in July of last year. While in Michigan, Graham was able to make multiple unofficial visits to the U-M campus. The Wolverines were the first Power Four school to extend an offer to Gra- ham, who is given a 92.5 percent RPM probability of committing to the reigning national champions. Graham's two most recent trips to Ann Arbor oc- curred in late November for the Ohio State game and in early February, marking the first recruiting weekend with Moore as head coach. Graham had extended meetings with Moore and former co- defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, who was Graham's primary re- cruiter before leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers. The news of Clinkscale's departure disappointed Graham, but his interest in Michigan hasn't changed. He plans on returning for a spring camp practice to meet with LaMar Morgan, the new defensive backs coach. At 6-foot, 185 pounds, Graham is the No. 110 overall prospect and No. 13 cornerback in the country, per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four primary recruiting media services. Michigan is the only school on Graham's offer sheet to host him on more than two unofficial visits, doing so on nine occasions. He's also the No. 16 recruit in Florida. DL JAYLEN WILLIAMS PALATINE (ILL.) HIGH The loss of defensive line coach Mike Elston to the NFL left Williams, who had a 96.7 percent chance of picking Michigan, devas- tated. He took to social me- dia once the news dropped, noting that RPM prediction would need to change. However, the Wolverines have since hired Greg Scruggs from Wisconsin as the next defensive line coach. Williams has an offer from the Badgers and last visited Madison in late October. Having Scruggs in the fold certainly im- proves Michigan's chances to land Williams, who hails from the Chicagoland area. The Wolverines have signed at least one prospect from that region in every recruiting cycle since 2019. Williams was offered by U-M during last year's spring evaluation period and traveled to Ann Arbor for the annual July BBQ at The Big House and for the OSU win in November. At 6-foot-5, 238 pounds, Williams is listed as the No. 248 overall prospect and No. 24 defensive lineman in the country, ac- cording to the On3 Industry Ranking. He's also the No. 6 recruit in Illinois. DB ELIJAH DOTSON BELLEVILLE (MICH.) HIGH Dotson picked up an offer from Michigan in May 2023 when Clinkscale evaluated the junior at a local spring combine where he took significant reps at defensive back. Dotson was primarily a wide receiver at the begin- ning of his high school career but switched to the second- ary. He has the versatility to play cornerback or safety. Clinkscale liked the ju- nior's length, closing speed and ball-tracking ability. Dotson began trending toward the Wolverines before his visits for the BBQ in July, which pro- ceeded two game-day visits this past season. Mich- igan remains a top school for Dotson, who has a 97.9 percent probability of staying home, per On3, despite the departure of Clinkscale. At 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Dotson is listed as the No. 352 overall prospect and No. 17 athlete in the country, accord- ing to the On3 Industry Ranking. After three years at University of Detroit Jesuit, Dotson transferred to Belleville, which has won two of the last three Michigan Division I state titles. He's also rated as the No. 6 prospect in Michigan. OL AVERY GACH BIRMINGHAM (MICH.) GROVES Gach experienced a busy January contact period. Among the many Power Four coaches that visited Gach at his school were Moore and new offensive line coach Grant Newsome. Gach has gotten to know both very well through his seven visits to Ann Arbor, including three for games last fall. M o o re co m m u n i cate s with Gach regularly and lets him know he's a top prior- ity on the offensive line board for next cycle. Gach also heard from Moore the same day he was officially announced as U-M's head coach. There's an open invitation for Gach to watch a Michigan spring camp practice, with a date still being decided. Gach won't publicly announce a verbal commitment until he completes his official visits, but Michigan is perceived to have the lead with an RPM score of 79.9 percent. At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, Gach is listed as the No. 206 overall prospect and No. 11 interior offensive lineman in the country, per the On3 Industry Rank- ing. He's also the No. 2 recruit in Michigan. CB JAHMARI DELOATCH CHESAPEAKE (VA.) OSCAR SMITH DeLoatch is eager to learn about the plan Michigan is putting into action under the new coaching regime. The Tidewater region star has seen both of his primary recruiters depart Ann Arbor for Los Angeles in Clinkscale and former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. DeLoatch supports the pair's career move to the NFL and believes that the Michigan program's di- rection is bright with Moore at the helm. Clinkscale and Minter viewed him as a nickel back in U-M's defense, comparing the junior to Mike Sainristil. DeLoatch reported an offer from the Wolverines this past May and later took in the BBQ in July and the night game against Purdue in early November, resulting in his probability of committing to Michi- gan currently at 99.6 percent. He plans to take his third visit to Ann Arbor this offseason. At 6-foot, 170 pounds, DeLoatch is rated as the No. 45 overall cornerback in the country and No. 13 prospect in Virginia, according to On3. ❑ Five Trending Targets For 2025 ❱ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan football recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets, visit TheWolverine.com.