Wolverine Digest

Four-star EDGE Commits To Michigan over Georgia, other SEC schools

The Wolverines stayed hot on the recruiting trail as June came to an end, snagging a Top 300-caliber prospect out of the heart of SEC country...

Matt Lounsberry

Michigan football earns verbal commitment from four-star EDGE Julius Holly, as Wolverines bolster 2025 recruiting class
Michigan football earns verbal commitment from four-star EDGE Julius Holly, as Wolverines bolster 2025 recruiting class / Chris Breiler | Michigan Wolverines On SI
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Michigan football hit its stride on the recruiting trail in June, as the Wolverines added eight verbal commitments in the class of 2025 and another for 2026 last month alone.

The latest pledge came from four-star Alpharetta (Ga.) edge rusher Julius Holly, who announced his commitment to Michigan on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder has garnered 33 scholarship offers during his recruitment, and chose the Wolverines over the likes of Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M after visiting all four finalists last month.

According to 247Sports’ Composite rankings, Holly is considered the No. 301 overall prospect, No. 22 edge rusher and No. 38 player out of the state of Georgia in the 2025 recruiting class. In addition to his ‘Top 4’, the Georgia native had offers from Oklahoma, Tennessee, Penn State, Missouri and several others.

Holly is coming off an excellent junior year at Alpharetta, in which he totaled 57 tackles, including eight sacks, adding three pass breakups and a fumble recovery. Holly's highlight tape on Hudl shows him often overwhelming his opponents across from the ball with an impressive combination of size and speed. The Peach State native shows excellent containment abilities on the edge, running down quarterbacks and running backs alike on his side of the field.

Pulling Holly out of SEC territory was a big win for the Wolverines. It’s not often that a Georgia kid, who holds an offer from the Bulldogs, leaves the state — particularly defensive players. However, that’s what Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito was able to do here.

While Holly is Michigan’s first true edge rusher commit in the 2025 class thus far, he joins the Wolverines’ defensive line haul that includes four-stars Nathaniel Marshall, Jaylen Williams and Bobby Kanka in this current cycle. U-M has its sights set on another four-star edge rusher in Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley prep’s Marco Jones, who is set to choose amongst a final four which includes Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M and USC on Tuesday.

Michigan got off to a slow start in the 2025 recruiting cycle after all the coaching turnover which occurred following the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship victory. After an outstanding month in June, however, U-M is starting to put together one of the best classes in the Big Ten and the country. Currently, the Wolverines’ 2025 class ranks No. 15 nationally and No. 5 in the conference. Additionally, Michigan’s class features an average player rating of 91.11, which is the 10th-best mark in the nation and third-best in the Big Ten.

Michigan Football Verbal Commits, Class of 2025

  • Four-star DL Nathaniel Marshall; Fenwick High School; Oak Park, Ill.; No 41 nationally, No. 4 Defensive Lineman, No. 1 in state of Illinois
  • Four-star S Kainoa Winston; Gonzaga College High School; Washington, D.C.; No. 88 nationally, No. 9 Safety, No. 1 in Washington D.C.
  • Four-star QB Carter Smith; Bishop Verot High School; Fort Myers, Fla.; No. 161 nationally, No. 14 Quarterback, No. 23 in state of Florida
  • Four-star RB Donovan Johnson; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 233 nationally, No. 16 Running Back, No. 34 in state of Florida
  • Four-star DL Jaylen Williams; Palatine High School; Palatine, Ill.; No. 236 nationally, No. 29 Defensive Lineman, No. 6 in state of Illinois
  • Four-star OT Avery Gach; Wylie E. Groves High School; Franklin, Mich.; No. 247 nationally, No. 14 Offensive Tackle, No. 2 in state of Michigan
  • Four-star EDGE Julius Holly; Alpharetta High School; Alpharetta, Ga.; No. 301 nationally, No. 22 Edge Rusher, No. 38 in state of Georgia
  • Four-star WR Jacob Washington; Archbishop Shaw High School; Marrero, La.; No. 320 nationally, No. 46 Wide Receiver, No. 8 in state of Louisiana
  • Four-star DL Bobby Kanka; Howell High School; Howell, Mich.; No. 383 nationally, No. 42 Defensive Lineman, No. 4 in state of Michigan
  • Four-star TE Eli Owens; Alcoa High School; Alcoa, Tenn.; No. 405 nationally, No. 21 Tight End, No. 13 in state of Tennessee
  • Three-star IOL Kaden Strayhorn; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 437 nationally, No. 28 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 58 in state of Florida
  • Three-star RB Jasper Parker; Archbishop Shaw High School; Marrero, La.; No. 442 nationally, No. 33 Running Back, No. 15 in state of Louisiana
  • Three-star LB Chase Taylor; Stockbridge High School; Stockbridge, Ga.; No. 587 nationally, No. 62 Linebacker, No. 63 in state of Georgia

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Matt Lounsberry
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