Let’s Talk 2025 Michigan Football Recruiting
The 2024 season is mere weeks away, which means there’s no better time to talk about…the 2025 Michigan football recruiting class.
As free transfers and portal mayhem abound, proper class-by-class recruiting feels more unstable than ever. The Wolverines have 15 commits thus far and will certainly add more. They will also invariably lose some of this class, whether before signing day or down the line in the portal. That’s the nature of the game these days.
With that in mind, which current commits are most crucial for the Wolverines to lock down and keep in the fold?
Ivan Taylor, Defensive Back (Winter Garden, FL)
The Wolverines’ highest-rated commit is an obvious choice. Ivan Taylor is a Notre Dame decommit and the son of former 12-year Steelers veteran Ike Taylor. Currently a high 4-star out of Florida, Taylor has been a staple in the West Orange High School secondary since his freshman year, and it shows. A sure tackler with ‘son of an NFL corner’ instincts, Taylor projects as a safety at Michigan, but also has the agility and athleticism to stick at nickel corner if need be.
His high school film shows a decisive playmaker who’s rarely out of position and has the ball skills to contest downfield throws. Though a fairly complete prospect, Taylor could use some time in a college strength program to help shed blocks and improve closing speed. He’s also just a shade on the shorter side for a safety, but then again, so is Rod Moore – the current Wolverine whose college career should be a guiding light for Taylor.
Therein lies Taylor’s importance to the class: the 2025 safety room looks hazy at the moment. Makari Paige, Wesley Walker, and Quinten Johnson will all be gone after this season. Rod Moore and MSU transfer Jaden Mangham will have a decision to make – stay in school, or head for the NFL. Otherwise, Taylor will compete alongside fellow Golden Domer decommit Brandyn Hillman and heady youngster Jacob Oden. Taylor’s recruiting profile and acumen do make him a candidate for early playing time and a possible leg up in that competition. Michigan may want to burn his redshirt to get some necessary in-game experience. From there, it’s in Taylor’s hands to capitalize on his considerable promise.
Carter Smith, Quarterback (Fort Myers, FL)
Michigan struck out with the number one overall recruit Bryce Underwood. Four-star Carter Smith was already in the fold to soften the blow. Michigan tends to favor multi-sport athletes, and Smith fits that mold. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound track-and-field star was also a legitimate baseball prospect, throwing in the 90s as a sophomore. He was 2023’s Gatorade Florida Football Player of the Year as a junior – an impressive feat in a talent-rich state. His stat sheet is impressive, with 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns in the air, tacking on 715 yards and 19 scores on the ground.
To that last point, the biggest initial takeaway from Smith’s film is his running/scrambling ability. His film highlights include a 50-yard touchdown run, a 20-yard touchdown scramble, and a crunching lead block on a halfback toss. If Alex Orji wins the starting job in 2024, it may provide the blueprint for Smith’s success in Ann Arbor. That will, of course, depend on improvements as a passer. There’s reason to believe he can make those improvements. His time as a baseball player has likely hindered some development in his throwing motion, which looks a bit herky-jerky. That should fade with time and repetition, as Smith has only recently started focusing exclusively on a future in football.
Smith’s relevance for the class is to first and foremost simply be a body in the quarterback room. A good rule of thumb is to snag at least one per cycle to keep the cupboard stocked. The transfer portal mitigates that need somewhat, as teams can bring in experienced players to patch holes of inexperience. Just as important, however, is time spent in the program. Smith will get to work on improving his mechanics when he joins the 2025 Michigan football team, then have a chance to compete for the starting job in 2026 and beyond.
Nate Marshall, Defensive Line (Oak Park, IL)
Like Ivan Taylor, Nate Marshall is a consensus top-100 player at a position of need in 2025. Like Carter Smith, Marshall plays multiple sports – basketball as well as football – and that athleticism will be a boon as he refines his technique. Michigan will look for Marshall’s best fit on the line, but it’s worth noting that his junior-year tape leads with about a minute of big plays as a receiver. On offense, he’s a leaper with good hands and more agility than you’d expect for someone his size (6-4, about 270 pounds). On defense, he’s got a quick first step, solid pass-rushing ability, and good closing speed to track down ball carriers.
There’s the question of where he’ll play on the defensive line. Michigan could keep him leaner and change his body composition to be an EDGE like Derrick Moore. They could also bulk him up and put his quickness on the interior, where he’d aim for a career trajectory like recent departure Kris Jenkins. He was a versatile piece who mostly lined up inside but could play as an EDGE in heavier packages.
Marshall will have a pretty clear path to early playing time either way once he gets to campus. The main goal for now is just that: getting him to campus. A player of his caliber will have other suitors calling nonstop until he signs on the dotted line. If Sherrone Moore can keep him in the fold against those overtures, it bodes well for recruiting momentum.
Notes On Some Other 2025 Michigan Football Recruits
- Don’t sleep on defensive tackle commit Bobby Kanka. His recruiting ranking isn’t as shiny as Marshall’s or fellow lineman Jaylen Williams’, but the in-state prospect should fulfill a vital role: glue guy. A dyed-in-the-wool Michigan fan from Howell, Kanka is less of a flight risk than your average 2025 recruit. Those kinds of players are crucial program staples that help keep team culture intact.
- Andrew Olesh and Eli Owens fulfill the binary Michigan tends to seek in their tight ends. Olesh is the receiving/split wide threat who will need to bulk up and refine his blocking (think Colston Loveland). Owens is more stout, a fullback-ian blocker in the Max Bredeson mold. There’s plenty of depth ahead of them, which should give them time to reshape their bodies to fit their roles on offense. Once they’re ready, they should give Michigan plenty of options when working out of 12 personnel.
- It’s a small offensive line class for now, but Kaden Strayhorn and Avery Gach are strong building blocks. Strayhorn should have time to marinate for a few years before competing at center. Gach has the physicality and mean streak to continue Michigan’s strong recent lineage on the interior. Both also come from MSU families – always nice to steal some talent away from the Spartans.
