Marrero (LA) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker committed to Michigan on June 15, 2024. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and USC, among others.
Parker is 6'0" and 189 lbs.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 78 grade, #42 RB
On3: 3-star, 89 grade, #31 RB
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #17 RB
247 Sports: 3-star, 87 grade, #54 RB
Hit the jump for more.
Stockbridge (GA) Stockbridge linebacker Chase Taylor committed to Michigan on Monday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee, and USC, among others.
Taylor is listed at 6'3" and 201 lbs. As a junior in 2023, he made 73 tackles, 6 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 78 grade, #19 LB
On3: 3-star, 88 grade, #98 LB
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #105 LB
Hit the jump for more.
Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn committed to Michigan. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Tennessee, and USC, among others.
Strayhorn is listed at 6'4" and 295 pounds.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 80 grade, #8 IOL
On3: 3-star, 87 grade, #70 IOL
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #17 OG
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #33 IOL
Hit the jump for more.
Marrero (LA) Archbishop Shaw wide receiver Jacob Washington committed to Michigan on Monday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Baylor, Georgia Tech, Miami, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Penn State, among others.
Washington is listed at 6'3", 180 pounds. He claims an 11.53 in the 100 meters, a 23.44 in the 200 meters, and an 18.75' long jump.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 81 grade, #24 WR, #203 overall
On3: 3-star, 89 grade, #54 WR
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #68 WR
247 Sports: 3-star, 89 grade, #57 WR
Hit the jump for more on Washington's commitment.
Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy running back Donovan Johnson committed to Michigan on Sunday. He picked the Wolverines over reported offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and USC, among others.
Johnson is listed at 6'0" and 205 lbs. on 247 Sports, though his school's Hudl page lists him at 6'1", 215. He ran a 22.47 in the 200 meters and a 51.58 in the 400 meters.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #8 RB, #123 overall
On3: 4-star, 90 grade, #19 RB, #242 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #19 RB
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #30 RB
Hit the jump for more.
Name: Micah Davis
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 199 lbs.
High school: Dexter (MI) Dexter
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #37
Last year: I did not rank Davis. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A
Davis was a high school teammate of running back Cole Cabana and had quite a standout high school career. Some Michigan fans may not have heard of him, but over his final two seasons at Dexter, he made 200 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 12 interceptions, 16 pass breakups, and 5 forced fumbles. He was named all-state as a senior and was ranked as a 2-star prospect by 247 Sports. Upon joining the program in 2023, he was named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week three times and earned the same honor for special teams once. For a walk-on freshman, that's a pretty solid start.
When I originally did this ranking, Michigan had lost Keon Sabb to the transfer portal and had not yet landed Wesley Walker and Jaden Mangham to replace Sabb and the injured Rod Moore, so I had bumped up Davis. Considering the transfer portal replacements, maybe Davis shouldn't be in the top-100 just yet, but oh well. I think he does have a chance to be a solid special teams player and perhaps play a role in the defensive rotation sometime down the road.
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
Cocoa (FL) Coca quarterback Brady Hart, a 2026 prospect, committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and lots of others.
Hart is listed at 6'4" and 180 lbs. after his sophomore year. As a sophomore in 2023, he completed 288/437 passes (65.9%) for 41 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #8 QB, #120 overall
On3: 4-star, 90 grade, #10 QB, #170 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.9 grade, #3 pro-style QB, #42 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #9 QB, #144 overall
Hit the jump for more.
Name: Max Reyes
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Southlake (TX) Carroll
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #31
Last year: Reyes was not on the football team.
TTB Rating: N/A
There's not a lot of information out there about Max Reyes, who was a pleasant surprise in the spring game, leading the team with 6 tackles. Due to some injuries and departures, Reyes actually started for one of the teams at safety. But as far as I can tell, Reyes has not played college football until the spring of 2024 despite being an academic junior. He wasn't on the roster in 2022 or 2023, and I can't find evidence of his having transferred from another program. It does appear that he was a decent baseball player and may have been pursuing baseball opportunities, and he has put on about 30-35 pounds in the past couple years, so perhaps he's just kind of a late bloomer physically who has recently changed his sports focus.
I did go back and watch his high school Hudl highlights, where he played cornerback in a primarily cover 2 system. He was also listed as a quarterback, but his time coincided with current Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (who quarterbacked the team when Reyes was a junior); in fact, Southlake Carroll has also produced the likes of former Alabama/NFL quarterback Greg McElroy and former Missouri/NFL quarterback Chase Daniel. But the fact that he was a quarterback - even as a backup - might hint at some quality football knowledge and processing ability.
Michigan did get reinforcements through the transfer portal in the form of Jaden Mangham and Wesley Walker, so we can be pretty sure that Reyes won't be a primary factor in the safety rotation this fall. But if he started for one team and led all players in tackles, that might be an indication that he could be in line for some backup snaps or special teams time.
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
Name: Nico Andrighetto
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Mountain View (CA) St. Francis
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #31
Last year: I ranked Andrighetto #136 and said he would be a backup defensive back (LINK). He played in one game on special teams.
TTB Rating: N/A
Andrighetto entered his third season on campus having played in two career contests, one in each previous season. He has been named Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Week four times over his two seasons, including three weeks in 2023. That would seem to bode well for him getting a chance to play a little bit on special teams as his career progresses. At 5'9" and 190 pounds, he's unlikely to ever be a serious option on defense, but special teams could be a different story.
With the likes of Caden Kolesar and other walk-ons moving past their football careers, there may be room for Andrighetto to play a little more in 2024. Punt and kickoff coverage units can be good spots to get your scholarship guys a break and let some fresh bodies sprint downfield at full speed.
Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer
Name: Daniel Taraboi
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 326 lbs.
High school: Cedarburg (WI) Cedarburg
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #66
Last year: I ranked Taraboi #138 and said he would be a backup offensive tackle (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A
Taraboi is a ginormous human being who has played in one game through two seasons on campus. That one game was the blowout of UConn in 2022 when Jack Harbaugh and Tom Brady's youngest son both got a few snaps. Michigan's veteran offensive line leadership got thinned out by the 2024 NFL Draft, but Taraboi still isn't in danger of playing much. He may slip into a few games late after outcomes are decided, and he could perhaps even work his way onto the extra point/field goal protection unit if he can maintain his leverage. At 6'7" it might be easy for opponents to get under him, but it still might be hard to push past a 326-pounder.
Prediction: Backup offensive tackle
2025
Andrew Babalola - OT - Overland Park (KS) Blue Valley Northwest: Babalola is a 6'6", 280 lb. prospect with officials to Stanford, Missouri, Auburn, Oklahoma, and this one to Michigan. He's a 5-star, the #4 offensive tackle, and #25 overall.
JaDon Blair - S - Winston Salem (NC) Mount Tabor: Blair is a 6'4", 190-pounder with offers from Florida State, Louisville, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State, among others; he also has official visits to all five of the aforementioned schools. Blair is a 4-star, the #13 safety, and #158 overall. He plans to announce his decision on July 5, 2024, but no crystal ball predictions have been logged yet.
Shamari Earls - S - Chester (VA) Thomas Dale: Earls is a 6'2", 180 lb. corner who has been committed to South Carolina since April; he's taking an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor this weekend and also has offers from Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, USC, and others. Earls is a 4-star, the #11 cornerback, and #102 overall.
Hit the jump for more.
Name: Jake Guarnera
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 308 lbs.
High school: Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Ponte Vedra
Position: Center
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #53
Last year: Guarnera was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 80
Guarnera was a somewhat anonymous recruit when he committed to the Wolverines. His father Jim played defensive line at Rutgers, but Jake wasn't getting a ton of recruiting attention. He committed to Michigan in April of 2023 with the belief that he was headed for center after playing offensive tackle, and his high school coaching staff transitioned him to center to help him get a jump start on his college career. I think that was a positive thing for Guarnera to get used to snapping the ball, as he now has almost a full season of playing in the middle (he still played some occasional tackle as a senior when the team needed him there).
Guarnera enrolled early and is up to 308 pounds, which is 20+ pounds heavier than he was as a recruit. There are still a lot of things to work on as a center, such as speeding up his initial step and being quicker with his off (non-snapping) hand. I like the way he gets all his cleats in the ground to make contact, but the initial movements are just a hare slow right now. I'm guessing those traits will get markedly improved as he gets more and more practice playing the center position. But for the 2024 season, Michigan has Greg Crippen slated to be the starter and Raheem Anderson II penciled in as his primary backup. Guarnera may get a few snaps in four games to get him some experience while preserving his redshirt, but he's probably headed for a season of watching from the sideline.
Prediction: Redshirt
Name: Bryce Wilcox
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 188 lbs.
High school: Sharpsburg (GA) Trinity Christian
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #38
Last year: I ranked Wilcox #131 and said he would be a backup safety (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A
This is the year.
I'm going to stand on the table for my guy Bryce Wilcox. He turned down an offer from Navy to walk on at Michigan, and he has spent the past two seasons biding his time on the sideline. He came in scrawny at just over 170 pounds, but has since added about 17 pounds to his frame. Now he's at a respectable 188 pounds for a guy who's probably just a special teams player, at least for right now.
So going into 2024, I think Wilcox might finally be ready for some special teams action.
This is the year.
(Unless it's not.)
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
Name: Noah Howes
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 242 lbs.
High school: Rochester (MI) Rochester
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #45
Last year: I ranked Howes #124 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: N/A
Howes was a high school offensive lineman who has since transitioned to tight end. After playing in one game as a redshirt freshman, he has since played in three games last year. He's two pounds heavier than last season, which is a pretty inconsequential gain, but his past history as a lineman may help him play a blocking role for a team that lost a pretty solid blocking tight end in A.J. Barner. He will likely be a pretty deep backup, but some snaps may be available now that Barner (NFL), Matt Hibner (transfer to SMU), and walk-on Josh Beetham (transfer to Georgia Tech) have moved on.
Prediction: Backup tight end
