The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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34 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2025 BY EJ HOLLAND T wo weeks after the merger between On3 and Rivals, On3's recruiting rankings were rebranded to Rivals, ren- dering the old Rivals ranking defunct. The newly updated Rivals player rank- ings for the 2026 recruiting class were released on July 14, and several Michi- gan commits moved up and down. The highest-ranked prospect in the class is five-star Washington (D.C.) Gon- zaga edge Carter Meadows, who moved up one spot to No. 5 overall nationally on Rivals' list. Meadows is Michigan's lone five-star commit thus far in this cycle. Ranked as the No. 2 edge and No. 5 overall prospect in the country, Meadows is a tall, long pass rusher with plus athlet- icism and one of the highest ceilings in the class. Meadows committed to Michigan over Ohio State and others in late June. Two other Michigan commits were featured in the Rivals Top 100. Billings (Mont.) West tight end Matt Ludwig stayed put at No. 91 overall, while Ho- nolulu (Hawai'i) Kamehameha offen- sive lineman Malakai Lee dropped eight spots to No. 93 overall. Michigan's biggest rankings riser was Liberty Hill (Texas) High defensive line- man Alister Vallejo, who moved up from a three-star recruit to four stars and the No. 269 overall prospect nationally. At 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, Vallejo projects as a three-technique and shares simi- larities with former Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham. Vallejo committed to Michigan June 10 over finalists Notre Dame and Kansas. Four other Michigan commits re- ceived slight bumps in this rankings re- lease. St. Louis De Smet defensive line- man Titan Davis moved up one spot to No. 111 overall, Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork edge Julian Walker moved up eight spots to No. 128 overall, Chesapeake (Va.) Os- car Smith wide receiver Travis Johnson moved up six spots to No. 131 overall and Chicago Simeon edge McHale Blade moved up one spot to No. 194 overall. Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian's offen- sive lineman Marky Walbridge's ranking remained unchanged at No. 235 overall. Only one Michigan commit suffered a significant drop — Newbury Park (Ca- lif.) High quarterback Brady Smigiel. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder fell 48 spots from No. 244 to No. 292 overall. Smigiel was once considered one of the best quarterback prospects in the country. However, his stock has taken a hit over the last year, and he's gradually tumbled down the rankings. Smigiel committed to Michigan over South Carolina in April. Overall, 10 of Michigan's 22 verbal commits through mid-July were fea- tured in the new Rivals 300. LATEST INTEL ON REMAINING TARGETS Michigan went on a fantastic recruit- ing run this summer and worked itself into the top 10 in the Rivals Industry team recruiting rankings. But the Wol- verines aren't done on the trail just yet. U-M is still in on a handful of key tar- gets, including the biggest of them all — five-star Mineral (Va.) Louisa County's Savion Hiter, the nation's No. 1 running back and No. 12 overall prospect. Ac- cording to Rivals' national analyst Chad Simmons, this race remains a tight one between Michigan and Tennessee. "The buzz has been around Michigan for some time now," Simmons said. "Ev- erything seemed to go right on the offi- cial visit. There have been some people who have told me that Tennessee views Savion as the David Sanders of this class. People always talked about Ohio State with Sanders, but Tennessee got him in the end. But I feel like Michigan is in the best position with Tennessee right behind them." Michigan is also battling Oregon for a pair of elite recruits in Westlake Vil- lage (Calif.) Oaks Christian star Davon Benjamin, Rivals' No. 1 cornerback and No. 22 overall player nationally, and Su- wanee (Ga.) Collins Hill standout Deuce Geralds, who is considered the country's No. 8 defensive lineman and No. 94 over- all prospect in the Rivals Industry Rank- ings, which is higher than where Rivals' scouts rate him (No. 14 defensive lineman and No. 146 overall). Both players are set to make their decisions on Aug. 2. The On3 Industry Ranking was re- branded as the Rivals Industry Ranking and it now equally weights ratings from Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN. "I would still lean slightly Oregon's way with Benjamin," Simmons said. "The lon- ger this recruitment draws out, the more it shows he's thinking about schools like Michigan and Texas. NIL is going to be a big factor here. Who has the best offer? He wants to get on the field. Who is going to show him the best path to play? I think those are the main two factors. "Oregon has, for a long time, been viewed as the favorite. Michigan is very much in this. Texas is working to be in it. Oregon is the team Michigan has to beat. "From what I've gathered, Oregon is ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK New Rivals Rankings Bring Movement For Wolverine Recruits Edge rusher Carter Meadows is currently the highest-rated player among Michigan's 2026 commits. Rivals ranks him as the No. 2 edge rusher and No. 5 overall prospect nationally. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND RIVALS' INDUSTRY TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS Rk. School Commits 1. USC 31 2. Georgia 30 3. Notre Dame 26 4. Texas 21 5. Texas A&M 26 6. Alabama 20 7. Oregon 15 8. LSU 16 9. Ohio State 21 10. Michigan 22 * As of July 21