The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532537
2025 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ 32 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2025 BY EJ HOLLAND Five-star Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest offensive lineman An- drew Babalola wanted to make sure he was making the right decision. Considered a Stanford lean through- out the offseason, Babalola was expected to make a decision soon after official vis- its ended in June. That didn't happen. August became the new timeline. Then it was September. A decision never came. After a series of delays, Babalola finally decided it was time to pull the trigger and committed to Michigan in mid-October. While his recruiting process was filled with twists and turns, Baba- lola stayed true to his word and signed with the Wolverines a couple of months later. "I just felt like I was ready to commit, and then I wasn't," Baba- lola said. "I was truly torn between my op- tions. What got me over the hump at Michigan was the people there — Coach [Sherrone] Moore and Coach [Grant] New- some. Also, everything Michigan can do for me both on and off the field. "It definitely was stressful, but the ac- cumulation of everything Michigan had just made it the right place for me." Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore deserves a ton of credit for landing Baba- lola. Moore, who is originally from Kan- sas, served as Babalola's lead recruiter during his time as offensive line coach and connected on a personal level. Moore kept recruiting Babalola with the same intensity when he was pro- moted to head coach and ultimately sealed the deal. "My relationship with Coach Moore is awesome," Babalola said. "You can call him and talk about recruiting, but you can also talk to him about life. He was recruiting me for a long time. "He was the head coach that I felt the most comfortable around. I trust his vi- sion and his plan for me and the program. That's definitely my guy. I love Coach Moore." Michigan offensive line coach Grant New- some also played a big role in Babalola's re- cruitment. When Moore was elevated to head coach, it was Newsome who took over day-to- day contact with the elite tackle. "My relationship with Coach Newsome is fan- tastic," Babalola said. "He was kind of like me growing up. He was a super-high academic student when he was going through his pro- cess. He was also a great football player. "Even though his career didn't turn out great, he's still a great coach. I con- nected with him really easily. He con- stantly checked on me. He's easy to re- late to." At 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, Babalola, the No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 16 overall prospect nationally, is a danc- ing bear with a basketball background who plays with a mean streak. An early enrollee, Babalola has all the tools to get on the field in his first year with the pro- gram. Overall, Babalola is ready to be a part of U-M's rich offensive line tradition and is ready to leave his own mark. "Michigan is a school that is consid- ered O-Line U," Babalola said. "They've had guys like Taylor Lewan. I feel like I can be one of those guys, too. I want to be developed to the max. That definitely played a big role in my decision. I'm ex- cited to be a part of it." ❏ Five-Star Offensive Tackle Andrew Babalola Has Huge Upside Babalola, the No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 16 player nationally per the On3 Industry Ranking, also was an honorable mention all-state selection in basketball as a junior. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/ON3 HONORS • Selected to play in Navy All-American Bowl. • Buck Buchanan Award finalist as a senior. • Honorable men on all-state as a junior. • Second-team all-league as a junior. RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan Oct. 21, 2024, a er receiving offer in September 2023. • Picked U-M over Auburn, Missouri, Stanford and others. • Recruited by U-M offensive line coach Grant Newsome. DID YOU KNOW? • The highest-rated recruit in the state of Kan- sas since 2009, according to MaxPreps. • Only began playing football as a junior. • Class 6A all-state honorable men on selec on in basketball as a junior. • Played AAU basketball with U-M sophomore offensive lineman Andrew Sprague. • Son of Ebenezer and Grace Babalola. • Raised in Kansas but born in West Bloomfield, Mich. • Born Oct. 2, 2006. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scou ng and rankings Charles Power: "Andrew Babalola has one of the highest upsides among offensive tackles in the 2025 cycle in a year that, for my money, is the deepest along the offensive line in a very long me. For starters, he has a great frame. He's over 6-foot-5. He was around 300 pounds going into his senior year. He has plus length with arms over 34 inches. Big hands. "Physically, he's how you draw them up as a top-flight offensive tackle prospect. He's new to football. He's played two years of varsity foot- ball. We've seen him make some really massive improvements from his ini al varsity game last year to now." ANDREW BABALOLA OFFENSIVE TACKLE 6-6 • 300 BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST HIGH OVERLAND PARK, KAN. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 16 3 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 14 4 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 10 2 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 28 8 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 44 5 2 INDUSTRY 2025 Projection It's hard for an offensive tackle to step into a big role as a true freshman. However, Babalola has the poten al to get in the rota on in his first year. Michigan's offensive line needs help, and Babalola arrives as one of the most touted tackles in recent memory. At 6-6, 300 pounds, Babalola has a great frame to go along with su- perior athle cism. The physicality is there, too. He's s ll a bit raw due to limited experience and may benefit from a redshirt. But again, he may be too good to keep off the field early on.