3 thoughts on Devon Baxter’s commitment to Michigan football

Michigan football landed another commitment on Monday from three-star EDGE Devon Baxter and here are some thoughts on his pledge to the Wolverines. 

At this rate, it’s getting hard to keep up with all of the Michigan football commitments, but on Monday, the Wolverines landed another 2024 pledge.

This time around, the Wolverines landed Devon Baxter, a three-star from the state of Maryland that has some serious upside. He’s ranked 503rd overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings for the 2024 class. He’s also the No. 32 EDGE.

In terms of the Michigan football 2024 recruiting class, Baxter is the first EDGE commitment, and here are three thoughts on the 22nd pledge overall.

A high upside take

Mike Elston knows what he’s doing. He knows how to evaluate and develop talent, so I get excited about most of his D-line commitments. Dylan Roney played a key role too according to what Baxter told EJ Holland of The Wolverine.

Regardless of who is responsible, this is a great pickup for Michigan football. Baxter is 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, and just looks like a pass rusher.

To be fair, Baxter had just two sacks last season. He was also credited with more than 20 tackles for loss, so even though he’s got tremendous upside, there is some production too.

A good bet for EDGE U

As I said, Baxter just has the look of a pass rusher. Michigan football has turned out so many over the years — Josh Uche, David Ojabo, Aidan Hutchinson, Mike Morris, Kwity Paye, Chase Winovich, and others — it just feels inevitable that talented EDGE prospects will succeed in Ann Arbor.

I’m even more confident with Elston coaching the position. He’s a tremendous evaluator and recruiter. But he’s an even better coach and was such a huge addition for Michigan football a couple of years ago.

The success of developing EDGE prospects was here before and it’s only going to get to another level. Baxter fits that mold and once Ben Herbert gets his hands on the kid, and he really learns how to be a pass rusher, watch out.

Some clarity at EDGE

Michigan football is in the position for a bunch of EDGE prospects. Dominic Nichols, Jacob Smith, and Elias Rudolph are a few of the EDGE recruits to know.

If Michigan football could land those three guys along with the Baxter, that would be a really good haul for the Wolverines and it seems possible.

Smith just visited Nebraska and tweeted out the corn emoji earlier on Monday. That doesn’t mean anything necessarily, but you wonder if the crowded board is a turn-off.

Rudolph seems poised for a commitment and things seem to be heading in the right direction with Nichols. We’ll see if Michigan football can land all four but getting Baxter is a good start.