The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
152 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW visit to Michigan on June 13. However, Auburn is considered to be the heavy favorite in this recruitment. Michigan is in the mix with several swing prospects who could play guard or tackle, including Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley's John Turntine, the No. 4 interior offensive lineman and No. 63 overall prospect nation- ally. Texas is considered the favorite in this race, but Michigan is a true dark horse and will get him on campus for his official visit on June 13. Michigan and Penn State appear to be at the top of the list for Needham (Mass.) St. Sebas- tian's Marky Walbridge, the No. 16 interior offensive lineman and No. 235 overall recruit nationally. The Wolverines are getting Wal- bridge on campus last, which could help them close out this recruitment. Boston College and Wisconsin are the other contenders. Prosper (Texas) High's Zaden Krempin, the No. 25 interior offensive lineman nationally, and Rocky Mountain (Idaho) Meridian's Jax Tanner, the No. 67 interior offensive lineman in the country, are both slated to make official visits to Michigan. However, Krempin is con- sidered a Texas lean, while Tanner is favoring Oregon. Michigan is still shooting its shot with elite guard Darius Gray out of Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher's. However, Gray, the No. 3 interior offensive lineman and No. 62 overall recruit nationally, did not have an official visit scheduled with Michigan entering June. Defensive Line Commits: 1 Need: 2 Three-star Liberty Hill (Texas) High prospect Alister Vallejo, who emerged as a top priority for the Wolverines this cycle, announced his commitment on June 10, picking U-M over two other finalists, Notre Dame and Kansas. Vallejo is ranked as the No. 35 defensive lineman na- tionally in the On3 Industry Ranking. When it comes to true hand-in-the-dirt de- fensive linemen, Michigan is prioritizing Rich- land (N.J.) St. Augustine Prep's Damari Simeon. The No. 7 defensive lineman and No. 65 over- all recruit nationally made his official visit to Michigan in early June. However, the Wolver- ines have some work to do here. Penn State and Ohio State have plenty of buzz going into official visit season, while Texas is a dark horse in this race. Michigan is also involved with another elite defensive lineman in St. Louis — DeSmet's Titan Davis, who recently named U-M in his final four. Alabama and USC are considered the early leaders in this recruitment. However, Michigan will host the No. 11 defensive line- man and No. 112 overall prospect nationally for his final official visit on June 20. Penn State is the other school in this race. Michigan and USC appear to be at the top of the list for three-star Winston Salem (N.C.) Oak Grove prospect Ben Boulware, the No. 35 defensive lineman nationally. He visited Michi- gan on June 13 and will end the summer with a trip to USC on June 20. Boulware may take his recruitment into the fall, and South Carolina remains involved as well. Edge Commits: 2 Need: 3 Michigan landed its first pass rusher of the cycle in three-star Washington (D.C.) St. John's edge Tariq Boney, who pledged to the Wolver- ines in late April. Boney, the No. 84 player at his position nationally, is undersized but is very productive at the high school level. Boney is starting to gather more attention nationally and recently received an invitation to the Un- der Armour All-America game Two months after Boney's pledge, Chicago Simeon's McHale Blade, the No. 25 edge and No. 195 overall prospect nationally, committed to U-M on June 9, immediately following his official visit weekend. Notre Dame had been considered the leader for the majority of the cycle, but Michigan sealed the deal with the four-star prospect on his June 6 official visit weekend. Michigan has the opportunity to add another highly touted edge, and five-star Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga prospect Carter Meadows is at the top of the Wolverines' list. Ranked as the No. 2 edge and No. 6 overall prospect nationally, Meadows is one of the most important recruits of the cycle. Michigan seems to have momentum with Meadows and will get him on campus for his final official visit on June 20. However, the Wolverines will face plenty of competition from Ohio State, Penn State and South Carolina. Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic's Trenton Hender- son is another elite prospect still on the board. Ranked as the No. 12 edge and No. 77 overall recruit nationally, Henderson made his first visit to Michigan this spring and was back for his official visit on June 6. Henderson is also set to make official visits to LSU, Florida, Florida State and USC. Michigan and Penn State appear to be right at the top for Malvern (Pa.) Prep's Jackson Ford, the No. 28 edge and No. 253 overall prospect nationally. Ford saw Penn State on June 6 and will finish the summer with a trip to Michigan on June 20. Ohio State is turning up the heat and is one to watch. South Carolina is the heavy favorite to land Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork's Julian Walker, the No. 20 edge and No. 136 overall recruit na- tionally. However, Michigan is working hard in this race and will host him for an official visit on June 20. Linebacker Commits: 0 Need: 3 Michigan needs to land top talent at the linebacker position this cycle and has its eyes set on Grayson (Ga.) High's Tyler Atkinson, the No. 1 linebacker and No. 7 overall prospect nationally. However, Atkinson has yet to lock in an official visit and will be an extremely dif- ficult land from the Peach State. Michigan is in the final four for Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh's Nick Abrams, the No. 8 line- backer and No. 163 overall recruit nationally. Abrams already visited Georgia and will see Alabama, Michigan and Oregon in June. This race seems wide open. The Wolverines are doing their best to flip Auburn commit Shadarius Toodle, who made his Michigan official visit in early June. The No. 18 linebacker and No. 259 overall pros- pect has been committed to the in-state Tigers since last July but is very high on both U-M and Georgia. Marietta (Ga.) Kell's Brayden Rouse is an- other top-tier linebacker set to make an official visit to Michigan this summer. The Wolverines have quickly moved up the list for the No. 7 linebacker and No. 155 overall prospect na- tionally. However, Tennessee is considered the heavy favorite. Cypress (Texas) Ranch's Calvin Thomas, the No. 9 linebacker and No. 165 overall recruit nationally, is close to finalizing his official visit date with Michigan. The Wolverines are squarely in the mix along with Nebraska, Or- egon, SMU, Texas and Texas A&M. Grayson (Ga.) High's Anthony Davis, the No. 35 linebacker nationally, Bradenton (Fla.) Five-star Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga prospect Carter Meadows is scheduled for an official visit to Michigan on June 20. He is ranked as the No. 2 edge and No. 6 overall prospect nationally by On3. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND