The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537777
AUGUST 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 35 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK the frontrunner for Deuce. Everybody I've talked to in his circle says that Deuce and his family really like Oregon and the fit there. The one question is, 'Could it be too far away?' That's still being dis- cussed. I would lean Oregon as the team to beat, but I'd put Michigan right behind them, with Ole Miss and LSU still there." Linebacker remains a big need for Michigan this cycle. Like Benjamin and Geralds, four-star Loganville (Ga.) Grayson linebacker An- thony Davis, the No. 20 linebacker and No. 298 overall player in the land per the Rivals Industry Ranking, is set to make his decision on Aug. 2. Michigan has been a riser in this recruitment and is very capable of pulling off a win. "I would say they are in the top two," Simmons said. "Ole Miss is the school that has come on strong the last three or four months. They are in a strong po- sition there. I think Michigan is in that same group. They've surpassed Alabama, Auburn and some of the other schools that were higher. I think it's Ole Miss and Michigan. I give Ole Miss a slight edge. But I've been told a final decision hasn't been made. Michigan is very much in play, and they've made an interesting run late." Four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Acad- emy linebacker DQ Forkpa, the nation's No. 14 linebacker and No. 253 overall player according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, was set to make a decision in early July. Florida was trending to land him on the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine. However, Forkpa decided to push back his commitment date. "Him postponing his decision is a very positive move when it comes to Michigan's position," Simmons said. "Michigan has been right there. If you have to point to one school giving him some pause, that is Michigan. Florida was in position to get that commitment if he had made the call. Him taking a step back is a big plus for Michigan. I'd put them ahead of Florida State as Flor- ida's biggest competition." Michigan is looking to take around 26 high school recruits this cycle. ❏ 2026 MICHIGAN COMMITMENTS Name Rating* Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Dorian Barney HHH CB 6-0 170 Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton) McHale Blade HHHH EDGE 6-5 255 Chicago (Simeon) Tariq Boney HHH EDGE 6-1 230 Washington, D.C. (St. John's College) Mason Bonner HHH TE 6-6 200 Denver (Mullen) Jonathan Brown HHH RB 6-1 200 Columbus, Ohio (St. Francis DeSales) Andre Clarke HHHH S 6-0 165 Richmond, Va. (Hermitage) Markel Dabney HHH LB 6-1 210 Richmond, Va. (Huguenot) Titan Davis HHHH DL 6-4 262 St. Louis (De Smet) Jordan Deck HHHH S 6-3 180 Frisco, Texas (Lone Star) Colton Dermer HHH LS 6-1 235 Phoenix (Sandra Day O'Connor) Micah Drescher HHH K 6-2 190 Hinsdale, Ill. (Hinsdale Central) Travis Johnson HHHH WR 6-3 180 Chesapeake, Va. (Oscar Smith) Malakai Lee HHHH OT 6-7 310 Honolulu (Kamehameha Secondary) Matt Ludwig HHHH TE 6-4 240 Billings, Mont. (Billings West) Bear McWhorter HHH IOL 6-3 308 Cartersville, Ga. (Cass) Carter Meadows HHHHH EDGE 6-6 225 Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga) Jaylen Pile HHH WR 6-0 178 Dallas (Parish Episcopal School) Zion Robinson HHH WR 6-2 175 Mansfield, Texas (Mansfield) Brady Smigiel HHHH QB 6-4 215 Newbury Park, Calif. (Newbury Park) Alister Vallejo HHHH DL 6-3 310 Liberty Hill, Texas (Liberty Hill) Marky Walbridge HHHH IOL 6-5 285 Needham, Mass. (St. Sebastian's School) Julian Walker HHHH EDGE 6-6 240 Columbia, S.C. (Dutch Fork) * Rivals player ratings as of July 21 Note: Following On3's acquisition of Rivals on July 1, all high school recruiting rankings from the combined entity were merged under the Rivals brand, including the Industry Ranking. Michigan Loses Rivals 300 Cornerback Commit Rivals 300 Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin cornerback Brody Jennings flipped his commitment from Michigan to Miami, announcing his decision via social media on July 5. "Just being down there, the environment at Miami is just different," Jennings told Rivals. "Like I said when I took my official visit to Miami, 'I don't know if any official visits are topping this,' and they didn't. So, that was definitely a big part of it, the official visit. I had an amazing time. I've been there multiple times throughout my high school years, going down there in the spring and for a game. "It's somewhere that I just want to be and my family wants me to be. I want to be successful and play with my family and friends that are down there in Miami. That's really where home is. That's where my parents are from, everybody's from. It would be great to see all of my family down there and have them watch me play." Jennings originally committed to Michigan last summer and made several visits throughout the process. His latest trip to Ann Arbor came last month for his official visit on Victors Weekend (June 20). However, Jennings kept his options open throughout the offseason, making official visits to multiple other programs, including Miami. The Hurricanes pushed hard to keep him closer to home and ultimately completed the flip. Michigan landed four-star Richmond (Va.) Hermitage cornerback Andre Clarke in June and sealed the deal with four-star Carrollton (Ga.) High cornerback Dorian Barney shortly after Jen- nings backed out of his verbal pledge. At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Jennings is ranked as the No. 19 cornerback and No. 136 overall prospect nationally per Rivals. — EJ Holland Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian's Davon Benjamin, Rivals' No. 1 cornerback nationally and No. 22 overall player, is set to make his college decision Aug. 2, in a race that is coming down to Oregon or Michigan. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/RIVALS