The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532537
2025 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ 20 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2025 BY ETHAN MCDOWELL A ll four major recruiting ser- vices updated their final class of 2025 player rank- ings in late January, with On3 rounding out that group on Jan. 30. At that time, Michigan's 2025 class ranked solidly in the top 10, checking in at No. 9. Less than one week later, on the Feb. 5 National Signing Day, Michigan added the final piece to its 24-man class with the signing of On3 Top 100 offensive tackle Ty Haywood, which catapulted its class ranking up three spots, leap- frogging LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M. When the dust had settled, the Wol- verines' class was ranked No. 6 nation- ally in the On3 Industry Team Recruit- ing Rankings — a weighted average of the four major industry recruiting rank- ings, including 24/7, ESPN and Rivals — and third in the Big Ten with a class score of 92.589. U-M's 2025 class rank- ing is 10 spots higher than a year ago when it finished at No. 16. Oregon (No. 4) and Ohio State (No. 5) were the only Big Ten programs to finish ahead of the Wolverines in this recruiting cycle. This is Michigan's highest-ranked re- cruiting class since 2017, when the Wol- verines' class checked in at No. 4 overall. The 2025 cycle also marks the first time Michigan has signed multiple prospects with a five-star On3 Industry Ranking since Dax Hill and Chris Hinton joined the program in 2019 as part of the nation's seventh-ranked class. Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Bryce Un- derwood headlines U-M's 2025 class. He maintained his spot as the No. 1 recruit in the country in this rankings update and became the first recruit to ever receive a perfect "100" player rating from On3. "In a cycle that is loaded with high- upside, athletic quarterbacks, none have shown a complete physical talent level that surpasses what we've seen from Un- derwood," On3's director of scouting and rankings Charles Power said. "Under- wood is one of the top quarterback talents to come through high school football in the past five to ten years. He would be the top prospect in most recent cycles. … "In a sport where true top talents at the position are worth their weight in gold, Underwood presents the type of upside, along with a high floor, that is worthy of franchise designation. With continued development, he has the potential to be a top-tier quarterback not just in college, When four-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood of Denton (Texas) Ryan High signed with Michigan on Feb. 5, the Wolverines' 2025 class ranking jumped three spots to No. 6 nationally. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND Michigan's Recruiting Class Rises To No. 6 On Signing Day, Program's Highest Ranking Since 2017