The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 153 IMG Academy's DQ Forkpa, the No. 40 line- backer nationally, and Torrance (Calif.) Bishop Montgomery's Kenneth Goodwin, the No. 64 linebacker nationally, are all three-star recruits with official visits set to Michigan. Chester (Va.) Huguenot prospect Markel Dabney is an SMU commit but took an official visit to U-M June 13-15. He's ranked as the No. 53 linebacker in the country. Defensive Back Commits: 1 Need: 4 Michigan already holds one commitment in the secondary in Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin's Brody Jennings, the No. 18 cornerback and No. 129 overall recruit nationally. Jennings vis- ited in the spring and was scheduled to make an official visit on June 20. However, he made an official visit to Auburn, and Florida is a big threat to flip him. Michigan will work to keep Jennings commit- ted and steal other top cornerbacks away. LSU commit Havon Finney, the No. 12 cornerback and No. 97 overall recruit nationally; Nebraska commit CJ Bronaugh, the No. 19 cornerback and No. 138 overall recruit nationally; Notre Dame commit Chaston Smith, the No. 28 cor- nerback and No. 299 overall recruit in the country; Clemson commit Shavar Young, the No. 37 cornerback in the land; Georgia Tech commit Traeviss Stevenson, the No. 45 cor- nerback nationally; and Miami commit Camdin Portis, the No. 61 cornerback in the country, are all flip options for U-M. Michigan also is shooting its shot with West- lake (Calif.) Oaks Christian's Davon Benjamin, the nation's No. 1 cornerback and No. 20 over- all prospect. Benjamin made his first visit to Michigan this spring, and the Wolverines are working hard to get him back for an official visit. Oregon is considered the heavy favorite. Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield's Khary Ad- ams, the No. 3 cornerback and No. 30 overall player nationally, is another elite prospect on the board. Adams made his official visit to Michigan on June 6, but the Wolverines still face stiff competition from Notre Dame, Penn State and Oregon. Four-star Carrollton (Ga.) High prospect Dorian Barney, the No. 33 cornerback nation- ally, recently named Michigan a finalist and will make his official visit on June 20. Penn State is the leader, while Georgia Tech and Texas A&M are the other schools still in the mix. Michigan has the lead for four-star Richmond (Va.) Hermitage prospect Andre Clarke, the No. 28 safety nationally. While Clarke is listed as a safety, Michigan is actually recruiting him as a cornerback. Kentucky, SMU and Syracuse are the other contenders. Michigan recently extended an offer to late riser Chase Geter out of Ashburn (Va.) Stone Bridge. Geter, the No. 51 cornerback nation- ally, is working to schedule an official visit soon. Michigan needs a tall, long safety this cycle and has its eyes set on five-star Las Vegas Bishop Gorman prospect Jett Washington. However, the No. 3 safety and No. 50 overall recruit nationally has yet to lock in an official visit with the Wolverines. Michigan and Texas are at the top for Galena Park (Texas) North Shore's Chace Calicut, the No. 19 safety and No. 229 overall recruit na- tionally. Michigan hosted Calicut on June 13, while Texas will get him on campus on June 20. The Longhorns appear to have the slight edge. U-M is in the final four for Frisco (Texas) Lone Star's Jordan Deck, who made his official visit in early June. The No. 26 safety and No. 296 overall recruit nationally is also considering Baylor, Colorado and Penn State. Ogden (Utah) Fremont's Salesi Moa, the No. 2 athlete and No. 35 overall recruit na- tionally, is a versatile prospect who could play multiple spots in the secondary. Michigan re- ceived an official visit on June 13 and is bat- tling Michigan State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah. Frisco (Texas) Panther Creek's Donovan Webb, the No. 41 safety nationally, and At- lanta (Ga.) Woodward's Blake Stewart, the No. 48 safety nationally, are three-star pros- pects scheduled for official visits with U-M this summer. Both can play safety or nickel. ❑ ❱ 2026 MICHIGAN COMMITMENTS Name On3 Rating* Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) McHale Blade ★★★★ EDGE 6-5 255 Chicago (Simeon) Tariq Boney ★★★ EDGE 6-1 230 Washington, D.C. (St. John's) Mason Bonner ★★★ TE 6-6 200 Denver (Mullen) Colton Dermer^ N/R LS 6-2 240 Phoenix (Sandra Day O'Connor) Micah Drescher# N/R K 6-3 190 Hinsdale, Ill. (Central) Matt Ludwig ★★★★ TE 6-4 240 Billings, Mont. (Billings West) Brody Jennings ★★★★ CB 6-1 185 Jacksonville, Fla. (Mandarin) Bear McWhorter ★★★ IOL 6-3 308 Cartersville, Ga. (Cass) Jaylen Pile ★★★ WR 6-0 178 Dallas (Parish Episcopal School) Brady Smigiel ★★★★ QB 6-4 215 Newbury Park, Calif. (Newbury Park) Alister Vallejo ★★★ DL 6-3 310 Liberty Hill, Texas (Liberty Hill) * On3 player ratings as of June 17; ^ rated by Kohl's Kicking as a five-star long snapper; # rated by Chris Sailer Kicking as a five-star kicker Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin's Brody Jennings, the No. 18 cornerback and No. 129 overall recruit nation- ally, has been a Michigan commit since July 2024. However, he recently made an official visit to Auburn, and Florida also is considered a threat to flip him. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/ON3