It wasn't long ago that Michigan football coaches were telling us to "buckle up" and we can see why after the Wolverines added their third commitment in the past six days.
The latest commitment is from Jasper Parker, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back out of Marrero, Louisiana. He's ranked 440th overall in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings and chose Michigan football over Miami, Alabama, Oklahoma State, and North Carolina.
BREAKING: Class of 2025 RB Jasper Parker has Committed to Michigan, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 16, 2024
The 6’0 195 RB from Marrero, LA chose the Wolverines over Miami, Alabama, UNC, & Oklahoma State
“Michigan is a special place and I want to be a Michigan Man. GO BLUE”… pic.twitter.com/L7VHD6crSi
It's the eighth commitment for Michigan in the 2025 class. The three-star prospect is the first running back in the class and here are three thoughts on Jasper Parker's commitment.
Some clarity at running back
Michigan just got a new running backs coach in the spring in Tony Alford. Even though he was hired away from Ohio State, it was still a reset for Michigan.
The Wolverines tried to land former Ohio State targets such as Marquise Davis and Bo Jackson. It didn't work out. Parker, who has been under the radar a bit, is a great option. Even though he's ranked as a three-star recruit, his speed and explosiveness jumps off the screen in his highlights.
Parker feels like a guy who could be elevated to a four-star recruit down the road. Either way, landing a top-500 running back is a good place to start. Michigan has some four-star backs visiting and among those is top-100 running back Jordon Davison.
This takes the pressure off though and even though Parker drops the blue-chip ratio from 100, it's still a nice recruiting win for the Wolverines.
The momentum continues to build
Many Michigan football fans have been wondering when recruiting was going to start taking off under Sherrone Moore.
Well, things don't happen overnight. Moore had to replace most of the staff and that has a big impact on recruiting. But now that we are in the middle of June, the Wolverines are getting hot like they usuaully do during this time of year.
It's also a reminder that recruiting rankings don't meant a thing in June. Rutgers is ranked 10th right now according to the 247 Sports team rankings. But that's because the Scarlet Knights have 24 commitments. U-M has eight but has more four-star prospects committed.
Michigan is going to take some three-star commitments, like Parker, but when you know how to scout and develop, three-star prospects can end up being just as good as the blue chips, which is something Michigan football has proven time and time again.
At least it did under Jim Harbaugh. But you have to like the way things are coming together for the Wolverines under Moore on the recruiting trail and after three pledges in six days, the fact that Michigan has recruiting momentum isn't a debate.
A great cap to a great week
This has been a great week for Michigan football recruiting. Not only did the Wolverines land three commitments in the 2025 class, two of them ranked in the top 250 overall, but Michigan also stole away a recruiting staffer from Ohio State in Erin Dunston.
Rumors are flying around on social media that Ryan Day wasn't at all happy about the departure either. It's the second staff loss to the Wolverines since the spring and Sherrone Moore wasn't kidding when he said he was going to be more aggressive.
I get that maybe a three-star running back isn't what every Michigan fan has in mind. But watch Parker run and you will understand why the Wolverines decided to prioritize him at the end. He can play and he's a one-cut runner who should thrive in Ann Arbor.
He even reminds me a little of Donovan Edwards in the sense that Parker is a home-run hitter.