The Michigan football commitment drought still hasn’t ended. Michigan did seem to get closer to ending it last weekend with Taz Williams on campus, along with Marquise Davis for another visit.
The Wolverines have turned the tide with Davis. It feels like they are at least the leader right now. Tony Alford has made a huge impact on that recruitment.
Michigan football hosting trio of blue-chip defenders
Brian Jean-Mary has made an impact on one of this weekend’s most important visitors —Elijah Melendez. The four-star linebacker is from Kissimmee, Florida, and ranks 156th overall according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He’s also committed to Miami.
Last weekend, he posted a U-M photo — teasing another visit. Now, that’s confirmed and this weekend will provide Michgan football a chance to gain some traction. A flip isn’t going to be easy. Melendez is from Florida and Miami has a strong NIL program.
Yet, Michigan sends a bunch of players to the NFL at linebacker. We have also heard that NIL is improving, even if it isn’t quite where it needs to be. This could be a test of that. This will be his second trip. He also visited for the Michigan-Ohio State game.
DJ Sanders, a top-100 defensive lineman from Texas according to the On3 Industry rankings, will also visit. Texas A&M is the favorite right now according to the On3 prediction machine, yet the Wolverines just offered in January and are working their way into the mix.
The Texan hasn’t visited any program outside the state before this trip to Ann Arbor according to his On3 profile. He’s got official visits scheduled for Texas and A&M. Michigan will have to get him on campus probably 2-3 times at least to pull him out of the Longhorn state but a visit this weekend is a good start.
Maryland safety Kainoa Winston is also visiting this weekend. He’s 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, and ranked 93rd overall in the 2025 class according to the On3 Industry rankings. Penn State leads according to the On3 prediction machine thanks to hosting him for five visits (one scheduled for the future), while North Carolina has four. This is the first visit to Michigan but that’s an opportunity for Lamar Morgan, the new secondary coach, to gain some ground.
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