Michigan

Recruiting Roundup: Four-star edge explains decision to commit to Michigan

Published

2 days ago

July 2, 2024

Recruiting Roundup: Four-star edge explains decision to commit to Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines have been hot on the recruiting trail coming out of official visits. They have received commitments from eight players — including one on Saturday — since the beginning on June, and more appear to be on the horizon, perhaps as soon as today.

In today’s Recruiting Roundup, we will dive into why Michigan’s latest commitment decided on playing college football in Ann Arbor, a four-star edge making his commitment today, and a really positive update on a four-star wide receiver.

Four-star edge expands on commitment to U-M

On Saturday afternoon, 2025 four-star edge Julius Holly became the latest player to commit to the Wolverines. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder hails from the state of Georgia and chose Michigan over his other three finalists, Georgia, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.

But why Michigan? Holly spoke about that and more with On3’s Chad Simmons.

“Since that visit to Michigan, me and my family have been talking Big Blue every day, all day,” Holly said. “Georgia was a close runner up, and all four schools were great, but the in the end it is Michigan because of the people up there. Going into the visit, I knew about their academics and the football history, but the feeling around the people made it different.

This was a pretty quick recruitment for the Wolverines, as new defensive line coach Lou Esposito offered Holly a scholarship on May 20 and got him up for his official visit the first weekend in June. He took subsequent official visits to his other three finalists, but ultimately chose the Wolverines.

Holly is the fourth defensive lineman to commit to Michigan in this class, joining in-state four-star Bobby Kanka, four-star Jaylen Williams and four-star Nate Marshall. Kanka is set for the interior, while Marshall and Williams are both flex guys, making Holly the first true edge defender to join Michigan’s 2025 class.

Top edge target announcing commitment today

While one four-star edge in the 2025 class joined the Wolverines over the weekend, another very well could be on the way as soon as today.

Over the weekend, 247Sports’ Brandon Huffman reported that four-star Marco Jones is set to make his commitment today, July 2. He will make his announcement on his YouTube channel and will choose between Michigan, Texas A&M, USC and Texas.

Jones took official visits to all four of his finalists in June, with Michigan being his first destination. There are predictions in for Texas A&M, so it’s not looking likely he will end up in Ann Arbor, but with recruiting, anything can happen.

At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Jones is one of the premier edge talents in the country. He ranks No. 157 overall, No 15 along the edge and No. 14 from the state of California, per 247Sports’ composite. Should Jones choose Michigan, Esposito would have landed four (!) top targets along the defensive line since taking over as defensive line coach in March.

Top WR target expands on recent OV, returning this month

Four-star wide receiver Andrew Marsh is one of Ron Bellamy’s biggest overall targets in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-1, 173-pounder from Katy, Texas was originally intending on officially visiting this fall, but instead canceled his trip to Oklahoma and went to Ann Arbor instead for the final official visit weekend of June. It’s no wonder that the Wolverines have received numerous expert predictions to eventually land him.

In speaking with On3’s EJ Holland ($), Marsh spoke highly of his time at Michigan, saying he, “felt like a priority and like someone they really want up there.”

Part of the reason he felt like a priority — the aforementioned Bellamy. He has formed a tight relationship with Marsh, and that is paying off big time for Michigan.

“(Seeing Bellamy) was good as well,” Marsh said. “It’s always good to see him. I know he was happy that I came back up there. It was good getting to talk to him again. He’s really personable. You can talk to him about anything. We vibe on every level — football and outside of football. You can talk to him about whatever. He’s a really good person.”

The No. 48 overall prospect in his class, per the 247Sports composite, will be back in Ann Arbor later this month for the yearly BBQ at the Big House, and he also intends on visiting Washington that same weekend.

Finally, Holland reported that Marsh is “strongly considering” moving up his timeline from November to August. If that happens, that could spell great news for the Wolverines.

Quick Hitters

Brady Hart, Michigan’s four-star quarterback commit in the 2026 class, shined this past weekend at the Under Armour Future 50 event in Florida. He earned On3’s MVP for Day 2, and was also a standout among evaluators on Day 1. He’s already a top-100 talent, but it appears he could rise even higher in the rankings.
Get to know the name Gregory Patrick. He’s a 2026 four-star offensive line recruit from the state of Michigan. He spoke with 247Sports’ Brice Marich ($) about how hard the coaching staff is pushing for him — very hard, by the sounds of it — and how the aforementioned Hart committing to the Wolverines is helping their cause. Oh, and he may be back for the BBQ at the Big House.
Another 2026 name to know: Kevin Brown. He’s nearly a five-star player on the 247Sports composite and just earned his offer from Michigan on Saturday (it was a long time coming). At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, this kid — yes, kid, even at that size — is an athletic freak.

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Michigan

REPORT: How Realistic is it to Expect a Bowl Game for Michigan State?

Published

59 mins ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

REPORT: How Realistic is it to Expect a Bowl Game for Michigan State?

Michigan State football enters the upcoming season with many changes in place. Coach Jonathan Smith will begin his first season at the helm, which is expected to be difficult for Michigan State. It has already been an up-and-down offseason for Coach Smith, which may impact the early part of Michigan State’s season.

Coach Smith and his coaching staff have faced an uphill battle since arriving in East Lansing, causing many to believe Michigan State will not see much success this season. While Coach Smith and Michigan State eventually had a successful offseason, their roster and overall situation were among the worst situations in the Big Ten upon Coach Smith’s arrival.

Although Michigan State has one of the most difficult schedules in the conference and in the country, it also has enough winnable games to make it to a bowl game. Michigan State undoubtedly has arguably the most difficult four-game stretch of any team in the country, but it is still possible they can string together six wins.

They play Prarie View A&M, Florida Atlantic, Rutgers, and Indiana at home and would only need to find two more wins to make it to a bowl game. That is not unrealistic for Michigan State to do in their first season under Coach Smith, considering the amount of talent Michigan State brought in via the transfer portal and Coach Smith and his coaching staff’s ability to develop players.

Still, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford is one of many who believe Michigan State will not make it to a bowl game this season. Crawford recently released his bowl projections for the upcoming season, and it appears he does not have Michigan State projected to make it to a bowl game. The lowest-rated Big Ten team usually goes to the Detroit Bowl, formerly the Quick Lane Bowl. However, Crawford projected Indiana to make it to the Detroit Bowl instead of Coach Smith and Michigan State.

If Crawford and his projections are correct, it would be the third consecutive season Michigan State has failed to make it to a bowl game. Michigan State’s last bowl appearance was a win over Pitt in the Peach Bowl in 2021. Michigan State hopes to prove Crawford and many others wrong this season.

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Michigan

Michigan state parks offering fireworks-free camping

Published

8 hours ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

Michigan state parks offering fireworks-free camping

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) -Some state parks offer fireworks-free camping options for those needing a quieter Independence Day.

Sleepy Hollow State Park is just one of many state parks that has been named a safe haven for veterans over the Fourth of July celebration weekend, as they will not allow fireworks in the park.

“Having a fireworks-free Fourth of July celebration, especially at our DNR parks, is really important to give veterans and those with loud noise and sudden sound-triggering PTSD space to celebrate with their family in a safe, quiet environment,” said Christyn Herman with the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency.

There are a little over 4,000 veterans in Clinton County and another 11,000 in Ingham County. Sleepy Hollow State Park is just one of eleven different state parks that will be fireworks-free zones.

“They can sound like explosions, fireworks can sound like gunfire, they can sound like many things, but it’s helpful to have these quiet spaces so they’re in a controlled area that can help them not be triggered,” Herman said.

Even when removed from a stressful situation like war, similar sounds like fireworks can trigger intense feelings such as fear, stress, anger, or sadness.

“Fourth of July used to be my favorite holiday, but it’s basically been taken over by a trauma response that I haven’t gotten control over yet,” Afghanistan veteran Hunter Garcia said.

If you or someone you know is a military veteran and is suffering from PTSD, visit the Fireworks Free Fourth webpage.

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Michigan

Record high travel in Michigan ahead of July 4th

Published

15 hours ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

Record high travel in Michigan ahead of July 4th

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – You can expect plenty of company as you head to your holiday destination.

AAA predicts a record 71 million people across the country will travel this weekend A record high number of travelers are also expected to hit the roads here in Michigan.

That number, 2.6 million Michiganders expected to travel for Independence Day. This is up from 2.3 million in 2023. And speaking of highs, gas in the state is also up in the state,

According to AAA gas prices are up 16 cents higher from last week. You could pay on average $55 for a full 15-gallon tank of gas. Once you hit the road, Michigan’s Department of Transportation is pausing construction and removing lane restrictions on 60% of projects. Travelers say even so, they’re still expecting slight delays.

“It’s about an hour and fifteen minutes I’m anticipating a little bit of traffic but super excited,” said Bree Minor who’s traveling to Indiana.

“We always anticipate traffic when going up north especially since were usually commuting on Friday’s. But we’re definitely expecting some traffic and to take it slow with closures and things like that. I’m coming from Kalamazoo so i know how bad it is over there right now, so I’m kind of anticipating the same thing,” said Morgan Gillies who’s traveling to Gladwin County.

Before you hit the road, you’ll want to check your tires, battery, and fluids. Prepare a safety kit just in case.