The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532537
PLAYER BIOS ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ MARCH 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 35 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Elijah Dotson ended up exactly where he wanted to be, even aer some twists and turns in his recruitment. The Michi- gan staff that was originally pursuing him — beginning when he was a standout at University of Detroit Jesuit — departed the program. Defensive backs coach La- Mar Morgan came to Ann Arbor and wound up ramping up the recruitment toward the end of last fall, when Dotson flipped from Pittsburgh to U-M. "Michigan was originally my top school, then the staff le, some things changed and Pittsburgh was a great option," Dot- son said. "It was a tough decision and I had to think about it a lot, but in the end, I had to do what was best for me. "I went on my official visit to Michi- gan in October, and really from about the middle of the season, they have been recruiting me more, more and more. They came on strong, and I have decided Michigan is best for me." The Wolverines were also going aer his Belleville (Mich.) High quarterback, Bryce Underwood, the nation's No. 1 re- cruit, and the two friends now have an opportunity to play alongside one an- other at the college level. Underwood wound up flipping from LSU to U-M, and the two are already enrolled early in Ann Arbor. While Dotson and Underwood only played with each other for one year, they continued to build a strong bond. "We're brothers," Dotson said. "We built this relationship over time — it wasn't just a one-year thing. We've been wanting to play with each other, so it's a blessing to be able to go to the same college, and our paths just ended up going the same way. We're going to ball out at Michigan and go get us a national championship." Staying close to home and remaining teammates with Underwood were surely factors, but so, too, was the way he fit in the Wolverines' defensive scheme. "Michigan has a great staff," Dotson explained. "Coach Sherrone Moore and coach LaMar Morgan have been recruit- ing me hard, and both are good guys and good coaches. "With Michigan, I can be a hometown player, too. That was big for me. Then the style of defense they run. It fits my style. They like my versatility and they see me as a safety with good range and physical- ity that can play in their scheme." An all-state standout, Dotson was an impact player on a Belleville team that made the D-I regional final but fell to De- troit Catholic Central. He's a versatile de- fensive back who will begin his career at safety but could move around and make an impact across the secondary. His for- mer head coach, Calvin Norman, said he has 4.4-second 40-yard dash speed. "I haven't seen a weakness yet for Eli- jah," Underwood said. "He's got great ball skills, he's great on his feet. He's got very long arms, he's very lengthy. He's a great all-around player. I feel like he's the No. 1 safety or DB in the country." For a while, it didn't look like Dotson would end up in Ann Arbor. But it's only right that it was the final outcome. "Michigan is a great opportunity," Dotson said. "I was blessed with a lot of great options, and Michigan is a great fit for me. ❑ Elijah Dotson Is Ready To 'Ball Out' At Michigan Dotson, the No. 12 cornerback and No. 94 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, flipped his commitment to Michigan from Pittsburgh in November. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL STATISTICS Year Tackles PBU INT 2024 70 — 1 2023 66 11 6 HONORS • Selected to the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl, where he recorded 2 tackles for loss and a sack. • Named first-team All-State by MLive and Sports Illustrated, and a Dream Team pick by Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News as a senior. • As a junior, selected first-team All-Detroit by Detroit Free Press and a first-team All-State honoree by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Associa on. • Helped Belleville post a 10-2 record in 2024, a er spending three seasons at University of Detroit Jesuit. RECRUITMENT • Was originally commi ed to Pi sburgh but flipped to Michigan Nov. 20, 2024. • Chose the Wolverines over Pi sburgh, Penn State, Michigan State and others. • Primarily recruited by U-M defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan. DID YOU KNOW? • Also played wide receiver at Belleville, catch- ing passes from fellow U-M freshman Bryce Underwood. • Earned all-state honors five mes in the hur- dles in track and field and was part of a 4x100 relay team that set a meet record (57.81) at New Balance Na onals in 2024. • Ran an 11.36-second 100 meters and was clocked at 13.89 in the 110 high hurdles as a junior at Belleville in the spring of 2024. • Born Nov. 8, 2006. THEY SAID IT The Wolverine's EJ Holland: "Dotson is a versa le piece who can play mul ple posi ons. He's s ll raw from a technical standpoint, but he has good length and athle cism. I like him more as a safety, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him end up at nickel, with Michigan look- ing for more length and athle cism there." ELIJAH DOTSON DEFENSIVE BACK 6-2 • 171 BELLEVILLE HIGH DETROIT RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 94 12 (CB) 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 130 18 (CB) 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 97 7 (S) 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 21 (S) 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 129 13 (S) 2 INDUSTRY 2025 Projection The good news is Dotson has a versa le skill set that will allow him to compete not only at safety but other posi ons in the secondary, should Michigan need him to. The Wolverines have a lot of depth at safety, though, making a redshirt or special teams-only role a pos- sibility for Dotson in 2025.