3 thoughts on two new commitments for Michigan football
Michigan football's impressive run on the recruiting trail continued on Monday as two more 2025 recruits announced their commitments to the Wolverines.
First, it was four-star wideout Jacob Washington. The prospect from Louisiana is 6-foot-3, 180 pounds and is ranked No. 320 overall in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
Washington visited this past weekend and so did three-star linebacker Chase Taylor. Out of Stockbridge, Georgia, Taylor is ranked No. 583 overall in the 2025 class in the 247 Sports composite rankings. He's 6-foot-3, 201 pounds.
USC, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina each hosted Taylor for official visits. Mississippi State, Baylor, Missouri, and Georgia Tech were among those in contention for Washington. Michigan has 12 commitments and nine of them are ranked as blue-chip prospects. Taylor is the only one ranked outside the top 500 and he's just outside of it.
U-M is now 15th in the team rankings according to 247 Sports and here are three thoughts.
A big wide receiver
The Wolverines have been interested in a few different receivers and have been projected to land three others in the 2025 class: Andrew Marsh, Taz Williams, and Phillip Wright.
Marsh is 6-foot-1. Taz Williams is 6-foot and Wright is 5-foot-11. Washington doesn't have blazing speed but when you put on the tape, he reminds me of Cornelius Johnson. I don't think he's quite as fast but he does a good job beating press coverage at the line of scrimmage.
Washington is comfortable going over the middle of the field and was also effective in jump-ball situations. He's probably more of a possession receiver than say Amorion Walker. Washington isn't a burner but he's got good hands and is someone who can get open consistently on the outside against press coverage.
What Chase Taylor brings to Michigan football
Taylor is ranked as a three-star recruit but I loved his film. He's also been credited with nine sacks over the past two seasons and more than 140 tackles. He shows an ability to cover, defend the run, and pressure the quarterback.
That makes him a perfect fit for the Michigan defense. He's a little light at 201 pounds but I would expect him to put on weight. It feels like he could be a three-down linebacker but that will be hard to do unless he gains 20-30 pounds.
Yet, it's a sub-package game and it will be fun to watch Taylor blitz from the linebacker position. He has great closing speed and I think he's good fit for how Michigan wants to play on defense.
Michigan is building a top-10 class
All the Ohio State fans posting about Michigan being ranked 50th in recruiting or 39th in the 2025 recruiting class will need to update their ranking as Michigan football is now 15th in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
The Wolverines are leading with six other recruits right now according to the predictions of recruiting experts and if all of those predictions come true, Michigan will have a top-10 class. It might even be ranked in the top five.
It's almost as if everything Ohio State fans say about Michigan is wrong. The hammer hasn't dropped on Michigan for the sign-stealing scandal (alleged) and recruits aren't staying away because of it. The Wolverines also didn't have a mass exodus as many Ohio State fans predicted.
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Michigan football is in a great spot under Sherrone Moore, not only to contend for another Big Ten championship this season but well into the future as well.