3 thoughts on commitment of Hayden Moore to Michigan Football

Michigan football has been working to flip three-star linebacker Hayden Moore from Nebraska and landed his commitment on Monday. Here are three thoughts on the move. 

While Michigan football has landed a bunch of four-star prospects in the transfer portal, the Wolverines have been busy on the traditional recruiting trail too.

Michigan landed a 2025 commitment on Friday from a top-100 talent, which is a good sign in its own right, even though holding a commitment for two years is less than ideal.

D’Juan Waller also committed over the weekend and is another take with upside as a 6-foot-3 cornerback out of Youngstown, Ohio.

However, more good news appeared on the way when Hayden Moore, a three-star linebacker, decommitted from Nebraska. He just took an official visit this past weekend and on Monday, he announced his commitment to the Wolverines.

Moore is ranked 1,111 overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings. Yet, he’s a super productive player and there’s a lot to like about his commitment. Here are three thoughts.

Better than his ranking

I’m not saying Moore should be a five-star recruit or even a four-star, but there’s no way he should be ranked outside the top 1,000.

As EJ Holland of The Wolverine reported, the Nebraska staff was higher on him than his ranking. Holland also said he views Moore as someone that should be ranked in the 400-500 range.

Moore is out of Colorado and is a 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. He played outside linebacker in a 3-3-5 system and did a bunch of different things.

Steve Wiltfong called him a tackling machine and reported that Moore finished last season. with 197 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.

Texas A&M was also in the mix and was hoping to get Moore on campus the same weekend as Michigan football. Instead, the Wolverines won out and land another solid defender in the 2023 class, one where they are trusting their own evaluations over that of the recruiting services.

A versatile addition

Moore is an interesting piece because he can do a lot of different things. He’s shown promise as a pass rusher but is also really productive as a tackler and in coverage.

The fact that he comes from a 3-3-5 system is interesting because that is what Nebraska is expected to run under defensive coordinator Tony White.

It’s always good to have guys that can get after the quarterback and find the football and Moore has shown he can do both. He joins a linebacker group that features Jason Hewlett and Breeon Ishmail that has high upside. They are all either 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4.

It would be nice to have a top-100 commitment but Semaj Bridgeman is ranked 283rd overall. I have hope for all four of those guys to outplay their rankings but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Moore get a bump. More importantly, he’s a guy who could contribute in multiple ways for the Wolverines.

Palpable momentum

There are good things happening with Michigan football right now. A four-star cornerback (Jyaire Hill) is trending in the right direction and on top of five transfer portal additions within the past week or so, Michigan has added three verbal commitments in the last four days.

I was worried about Enow Etta, the top-ranked commitment for Michigan football, but he seems solid. Cole Cobana is also going to be a star for the Wolverines.

The 2023 class still feels a little underwhelming. But it ranks 19th according to the 247 sports composite rankings. The blue-chip ratio is 33 percent (percentage of 4/5 star recruits). It’s not really what it should be for Michigan football.

However, the Wolverines do well with the talent they get and it’s worth noting that Colston Loveland, Mason Graham, and Kenneth Grant were all three-star recruits at the time of their commitment. So don’t get too wrapped up in the rankings. They can change.