3 thoughts on a flip and a huge commitment for Michigan football

You won't find many recruiting days better for Michigan football than the one the Wolverines enjoyed on Monday, landing four-star tight end Andrew Olesh, about one hour after Michigan was able to flip top-100 safety Ivan Taylor from Notre Dame.

Taylor visited Michigan football twice in recent months, including an official visit in June. Yet, it was hard to know how serious the interest was in a flip. But after Notre Dame took a fifth defensive back in the 2025 class, Taylor flipped his commitment to Michigan football in a huge win for the Wolverines.

Taylor is 6 feet, 180 pounds out of Winter Garden, Florida. He's ranked No. 54 overall and is the third top-100 commitment in the 2025 class. Olesh is 6-foot-5, 212 pounds, and is ranked No. 118 overall and fifth among tight ends according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Here are three thoughts on a huge day for Michigan football recruiting.

Michigan is starting to recruit like an elite program again

Michigan may never recruit as well as Georgia, or Alabama, or even Ohio State, but you don't have to have the best recruiting class every season to win a national title. All three of those programs trumped Michigan in the 2024 team talent rankings put out by 247 Sports.

Yet, Michigan went 2-0 against those teams and physically whipped an Alabama team that beat Georgia in the SEC title game. If the Wolverines don't have some special teams disasters in the Rose Bowl, it's two-score win for the Wolverines.

But you need a base level of elite talent to compete with those guys. J.J. McCarthy, Will Johnson, Donovan Edwards, Colston Loveland, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and more. Some of those guys were three-star prospects when they committed to Michigan.

The Wolverines nailed their evaluations, as well as the development process. Now, with five commitments in the top 160 in 2025, Michigan is building that base of elite talent again, especially at some key positions.