The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 155 believes the 6-7, 274-pounder from Lake Ridge (Texas) Mansfield High has a very real case as the best offensive tackle in the country. Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Flor- ida, Ohio State, Texas and Oklahoma make up his official visit schedule. 4) Top-100 WR Calvin Russell Calvin Russell will make his decision July 5, and Michigan needed to secure an official visit with the No. 4 receiver and No. 33 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking prior to then. Standing 6-5, 190 pounds, he's one of the most coveted pass-catch- ers in the country. The Opa Locka (Fla.) Northwestern star's only public offi- cial visits are to Florida (May 16), LSU (May 30) and Florida State (June 15). He visited Michigan this spring and included the program in his Top 8 along- side the aforementioned schools plus Mi- ami, Oregon, UNC and Syracuse. He's a dual-sport athlete who also stars on the basketball court, and he's the top-ranked game-changing receiver target left on the board. Miami holds the edge in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, but his recruitment remains an open race with the Wolverines still in the mix. 5) Top-100 CB Khary Adams Michigan remains in the mix for several top-100 cor- nerbacks, including Davon Benjamin, Havon Finney Jr. and Khary Adams. Any of them could slot into this spot in the top 10. Adams is the No. 30 recruit in the country and the nation's No. 3 cor- ner. The 6-1, 180-pound Loyola Blake- field (Towson, Md.) standout adjusted his travel schedule to include a trip to Ann Arbor June 6 after also attending the spring game April 19. Penn State was the first school to host him for an official visit, followed by South Carolina, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oregon. On3's Steve Wiltfong is watching the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish closely in Adams' recruitment. The coveted defensive back will announce his commitment June 28, shortly after of- ficial visits conclude. 6) Top-100 OT Malakai Lee Malakai Lee, the No. 85 recruit and No. 9 offensive tackle in the country and the top-ranked prospect in Hawai'i, is a clear top priority at tackle for the Wolverines. Offensive line coach Grant Newsome visited him mul- tiple times this spring after welcoming the 6-7, 310-pound lineman to campus for a multi-day unofficial visit in March. Lee locked in a June 20 Victors Week- end visit after Newsome made his first trip out to see the Honolulu Kamehameha Secondary standout. Lee will end his of- ficial visit schedule in Ann Arbor after also making trips to Alabama, Georgia and Texas — his other finalists. Notably, the top-100 tackle also plans on taking a mid-June unofficial visit back to UGA after spending his OV there in May. 7) Top-100 EDGE Trenton Henderson Trenton Henderson emerged as a re- alistic recruiting target for Michigan after a successful spring visit that left a great impression on the On3 Indus- try Ranking's No. 59 recruit in the country out of Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic High. He's the No. 11 edge rusher nationally at 6-4, 225 pounds and looks like an absolute top priority along the defensive line this cycle. Defensive line coach Lou Esposito traveled to Flor- ida to meet with him this spring as soon as Michigan's self-imposed recruiting contact ban lifted. Michigan is competing with a loaded group of official visits here. The Wolver- ines will host him June 6, sandwiched be- tween trips to Auburn, LSU, Florida and USC this summer. He also plans on taking an in-season trip to Florida State. There's a long way to go in Henderson's recruit- ment, but it doesn't look like there's a clear favorite yet. Michigan just needs to continue chipping away, and that starts with this official visit. 8) Five-star OT Kelvin Obot Kelvin Obot plays for Fruitland (Idaho) High as a 6-6, 300-pound of- fensive tackle, and he emerged from the Gem State as On3's No. 9 recruit in the country and the No. 3 offensive tackle in the class. He holds an elite offer list but recently cut his top schools down to four — Oregon, Michigan, Utah and Nebraska. The coveted lineman will take OVs to all four programs, ending his travels with a weekend in Ann Arbor. Obot visited the Wolverines this spring, and that trip went well enough for them to make the cut over schools like USC, Ohio State and Tennessee. This looks like a battle between Oregon and Michigan at the moment, and the Ducks have the obvious geographical advan- tage. Receiving the last official visit al- ways helps. Michigan will try to make a strong impression with Obot during Victors Weekend. 9) On300 WR Travis Johnson Travis Johnson is the only prospect on this list outside of the top 100, and that's because Michigan absolutely needs to land outside receiver help this recruiting cycle. Standing 6-3, 180 pounds, the Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith standout has the combination of size and speed to fill that role for the Wolverines. Michigan has been prioritizing him for a while, and he made two trips to campus earlier this year to build his connection with the program. Indiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Penn State will all host On3's No. 137 prospect and No. 15 wide receiver in the country and No. 3 player in Virginia before a June 13 trip to Michigan. The Vir- ginia Tech Hokies round out his official visit schedule June 20. 10) Top-100 IOL John Turntine Pulling John Turntine out of Texas will be extremely dif- ficult, but if any school can do it, it's probably Michi- gan. The 6-3, 260-pound, No. 2-ranked interior offen- sive lineman is the No. 42 recruit in the country per the On3 Industry Ranking. He's a top priority for the Wolverines and the Longhorns. Turntine is a star senior at Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley High and sand- wiched a June 13 trip to Michigan between weekends with Texas A&M and Texas. The Wolverines emerged as real contenders for Turntine this spring. The top-100 re- cruit has very real interest in U-M, and the program has a chance to land one of the nation's most versatile offensive linemen this summer. ❑