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.