Michigan Football Lands Underrated 2025 Linebacker Out Of Georgia

The Wolverines dipped into southern waters to pull an underrated defensive prospect out of SEC territory...

Matt Lounsberry | Jul 7, 2024

Michigan dipped into SEC country to pull an underrated class of 2025 linebacker prospect out of Georgia / Chris Breiler - Michigan Wolverines On SI

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Michigan Wolverines

It's clear that Michigan is placing a large emphasis on recruiting the South in the first full cycle of the Sherrone Moore era. Of the Wolverines' 13 verbal commitments in the class of 2025, eight have come from players located south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

One of those pledges came from three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) linebacker Chase Taylor, who committed to Michigan on June 24 among a final grouping which included South Carolina, Georgia Tech and USC.

ANOTHER ONE!!🔥🔥🧱#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/4XwVBXbOAv
— The Winged Helmet (@TWH_Chris) June 24, 2024

Taylor has been a productive player each of the last two years in high school. Per MaxPreps, Taylor totaled 66 tackles with three sacks during his sophomore season in 2022. That was followed up by a junior season in which Taylor tallied 73 tackles, with six tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles. His junior season highlight reels can be watched here.

While listed as a three-star recruit, Taylor's offer sheet suggests he's underrated as a prospect. The 6-foot-3, 201-pounder has drawn 27 scholarship offers from FBS-level programs, with the likes of Tennessee, Florida State, Clemson and LSU showing interest in addition to his final grouping. Taylor is considered the No. 588 overall prospect, No. 63 linebacker and No. 65 player from the state of Georgia in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings.

Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale did an excellent job in the battle for Taylor's commitment, which was wrapped up when the Peach State native took an official visit to Ann Arbor back on June 21. That was the fourth official visit for Taylor, who also took trips to USC (May 31), South Carolina (June 7) and Georgia Tech (June 14) this summer.

The Wolverines' missed on four-star Trenton (N.J.) Hun linebacker target Kamar Archie earlier this week, but remain in a fierce battle with Notre Dame and others for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (No. 70 overall) at the position.

In addition to Archie, the Wolverines have seen four other high-profile prospects commit to other programs in four-star Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph defensive lineman Maxwell Roy (Ohio State), four-star Brooklin (Mass.) Dexter interior offensive lineman Hardy Watts (Wisconsin), four-star Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley edge rusher Marco Jones (Texas A&M) and four-star Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman interior offensive lineman Seuseu Alofaituli.

Good news could be on the way next week for Michigan however, as the Wolverines are the current favorites to land four-star Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh (No. 121) and three-star Destrehan (La.) wide receiver Phillip Wright (No. 533). Olesh — who is also considering Alabama and Penn State — is set to announce his commitment on July 8, while Wright will make his announcement on July 13 between Michigan and Georgia Tech.

Michigan's 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 22 in the country and No. 7 in the Big Ten, through the Wolverines average player ranking of 91.03 is the third-best mark in the conference.

Michigan Football Verbal Commits, Class of 2025

Four-star DL Nathaniel Marshall; Fenwick High School; Oak Park, Ill.; No 43 nationally, No. 4 Defensive Lineman, No. 1 in state of Illinois
Four-star S Kainoa Winston; Gonzaga College High School; Washington, D.C.; No. 95 nationally, No. 10 Safety, No. 1 in Washington D.C.
Four-star QB Carter Smith; Bishop Verot High School; Fort Myers, Fla.; No. 163 nationally, No. 14 Quarterback, No. 23 in state of Florida
Four-star DL Jaylen Williams; Palatine High School; Palatine, Ill.; No. 242 nationally, No. 29 Defensive Lineman, No. 6 in state of Illinois
Four-star OT Avery Gach; Wylie E. Groves High School; Franklin, Mich.; No. 240 nationally, No. 14 Offensive Tackle, No. 2 in state of Michigan
Four-star RB Donovan Johnson; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 285 nationally, No. 16 Running Back, No. 39 in state of Florida
Four-star EDGE Julius Holly; Alpharetta High School; Alpharetta, Ga.; No. 300 nationally, No. 22 Edge Rusher, No. 39 in state of Georgia
Four-star WR Jacob Washington; Archbishop Shaw High School; Marrero, La.; No. 329 nationally, No. 48 Wide Receiver, No. 8 in state of Louisiana
Four-star DL Bobby Kanka; Howell High School; Howell, Mich.; No. 385 nationally, No. 41 Defensive Lineman, No. 3 in state of Michigan
Four-star TE Eli Owens; Alcoa High School; Alcoa, Tenn.; No. 403 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. 443 nationally, No. 33 Running Back, No. 14 in state of Louisiana
Three-star LB Chase Taylor; Stockbridge High School; Stockbridge, Ga.; No. 588 nationally, No. 63 Linebacker, No. 65 in state of Georgia