The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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46 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2025 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE BY EJ HOLLAND M arkel Dabney had a wild ride in his recruitment. The three-star linebacker out of Richmond (Va.) Hu- guenot was considered a Michigan lean going into the spring. However, Dab- ney couldn't have contact with the U-M staff during a self-imposed contact ban and abruptly committed to SMU on his official visit there. Once the ban came to an end, Michi- gan once again made Dabney a prior- ity and got him on campus for an of- ficial visit in mid-June. The Wolverines sealed the deal and flipped him away from SMU just a couple of weeks later. "I'm fired up," Dabney said. "I can't wait until January, so I can early enroll and make some noise out there in Ann Arbor. It's a once in a lifetime opportu- nity, and I couldn't pass it up. "I'm living it up. I really feel like it's home there." Both Michigan linebackers coach B r i a n Jea n - M a ry a n d h ea d coa c h Sherrone Moore pressed hard during Dabney's official visit and played key roles in stealing him away from SMU, a College Football Playoff participant a year ago. "Coach BJ is a great guy," Dabney said. "He's a great linebackers coach. I can't wait to play under him. Coach Moore is a great coach and a really amazing guy. Being around him on my official visit, he showed so much love. "The media doesn't know him. He's a totally different person. I can't wait to play under him, too." Michigan also had a bit of a secret weapon in their favor. A fellow Richmond-area native, Shamari Earls signed with Michigan last cycle and could get significant time at corner as a true freshman this fall. Earls helped the staff recruit Dabney throughout the process and was instru- mental in winning him over. "Just hanging around the team and Shamari was great," Dabney said. "If it weren't for Shamari, I don't know if I'd be going to Michigan. Shamari played a big role in my decision. "We've been teammates since we were little. Just hanging around him and the other guys, they are guys I want to play with for four years." Dabney is an extremely versatile prospect who has experience playing both linebacker and safety at the high school level. Dabney also started at wide receiver for Huguenot as a junior last season and racked up more than 1,000 yards on the offensive side of the ball. Michigan recruited Dabney as a pure linebacker but also talked to him about the potential of moving around within the scheme. "I see myself fitting in everywhere, which is what they said," Dabney said. "My starting point is inside linebacker. Once I learn the system and get used to the language, I'm going to play in dif- ferent packages. I'll play outside line- backer, come off the edge and things like that." Dabney is one of Michigan's lowest- ranked recruits this cycle. However, that's not bothering him at all. In fact, Dabney downplayed the opinions of re- cruiting services and is bringing a blue- collar mentality to Ann Arbor. "People can believe in the rankings all they want," Dabney said. "I believe in my potential. I know where hard work has gotten me. I'm going to continue to lean on the hard work. "I'm not going to worry about the stars. At the end of the day, when you go to college, none of that matters any- more. It's dawgs on dawgs." ❑ Underrated Virginia Linebacker Markel Dabney Picks Michigan PLAYER EVALUATION S T R E N G T H S : Markel Dabney has a quality build with a thick upper and lower half. An athletic linebacker, he runs well sideline-to-sideline and closes ground in a hurry. Dabney is a physical tackler against the run but is also very comfortable in pass coverage, which is no surprise given his background at safety. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Dabney has always moved around at the high school level and started at wide receiver on the offensive side of the ball as well. He is still raw as an actual linebacker, and lacks technique and awareness. Dabney can sometimes get lost in space and has to rely on his athletic ability to make for it. He needs more coaching and experi- ence as a true linebacker. MICHIGAN PLAYER COMPARISON: Dabney shares some similarities with U-M senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder. Like Dabney, Rolder was undervalued by the recruiting services early on in the process before rising late. Rolder always had a quality build and was a terrific athlete, garnering legit Division I interest as a baseball player. Like Rolder, Dabney has plenty of upside and potential. — EJ Holland Rivals ranks Dabney as the No. 18 prospect in Virginia and the No. 54 linebacker in the country. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND