Michigan football commitment ‘torn’ between Wolverines and Alabama
Michigan football got some tremendous news on the recruiting trail this week as the Wolverines landed five-star Andrew Babalola.
Not only is Babalola one of the best players in the 2025 class (ranked No. 21 overall) he plays a premium position (offensive tackle). He’s also the first five-star commitment for Michigan football since 2022 (Will Johnson) and the fourth top-100 pledge of the 2025 class for Sherrone Moore.
Yet, in order to keep all four top-100 commitments, Michigan football has some work to do, especially with elite defensive back Ivan Taylor, who flipped from Notre Dame to U-M over the summer.
The good news for Michigan football is that Taylor, the 6-foot, 174-pound defender who is ranked 58th overall in the 2025 class, is expecting to visit Michigan for the Michigan State game this weekend. Yet, according to Chad Simmons of On3.com, Taylor, the son of former NFL star Ike Taylor, is “torn” between the Wolverines and Crimson Tide.
Another blue-chip DB will visit Michigan
Taylor won’t be the only elite defensive back visiting either. Four-star Jordan Young, who has been another top target throughout the 2025 class, is also visiting according to EJ Holland of The Wolverine.
The 6-foot, 184-pounder is ranked 134th overall in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. North Carolina State and Clemson each have crystal ball projections for the Monroe, North Carolina, prospect. However, Michigan will get the final visit before Young announces a decision on November 2nd.
According to Holland, there’s a chance that Young wants the option to play wide receiver in college. Michigan views him as a nickel. The Wolverines also want Young and Taylor — this isn’t an either-or situation, although getting just one (keeping Taylor) will be a major accomplishment.
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Michigan lands top international hoops prospect Oscar Goodman
Top international basketball prospect Oscar Goodman has committed to the Michigan Wolverines, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-8, 17-year-old power forward from Opunake, New Zealand, has been developing at the NBA Global Academy in Australia, where he has built a reputation as one of the most coveted international players committing to the college route in the class of 2025.
Goodman burst onto NBA radars at this past summer’s FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, where he led New Zealand to a historic fourth-place finish, losing to the USA in the semifinals. He was named to the All-Tournament First-Team after averaging 17.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Goodman was also named MVP of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in 2023.
Goodman’s combination of skill, feel for the game, physicality, and versatility operating inside and out should allow him to play different roles for Michigan head coach Dusty May, who was hired from Florida Atlantic last March. Goodman marks Michigan’s first major foray back into the international recruiting market since German wing Franz Wagner committed to Juwan Howard in 2019.
“I chose Michigan because of how Coach May saw me fitting into their play style,” Goodman told ESPN. “I really liked the ‘we do everything for each other’ environment. I was big on having great team chemistry and could tell all the guys enjoyed being around each other.”
Goodman says he plans on representing New Zealand again this summer at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland.
This is Michigan’s second commitment in the class of 2025, after 6-foot-7 Prolific Prep wing Winters Grady, one of the best shooters in the class, announced he selected the Wolverines last week.
The NBA Academy program has become a hot spot for draft prospects in recent years, with the likes of Josh Giddey (No. 6 pick, 2021 NBA draft), Bennedict Mathurin (No. 6 pick, 2022), Dyson Daniels (No. 8 pick, 2022) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper going through the program, as well as projected top-10 pick Khaman Maluach, who is currently enrolled at Duke.
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