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

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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“(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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Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing

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Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing


One of the best college football coaches of all time, Urban Meyer, lent some sympathy to Sherrone Moore — or at least his family — in the wake of the former Michigan head coach’s shocking firing last week. 

“Last night, I said a prayer for that family,’’ Meyer said on “The Triple Option Podcast,” speaking of Moore’s wife and daughters. 

“I mean, you’ve got three little girls,’’ said Meyer, who won a national title at Ohio State a little over a decade ago. “You’ve got a guy that was on top of the road a week ago.”

Urban Meyer reacted to the fallout of Sherrone Moore’s shock firing from Michigan. Getty Images
The former Michigan football coach was fired for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a. staffer. AP

That changed in stunning fashion, as Moore, a married father of three, went from leading the Wolverines to out of a job, fired in Ann Arbor for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

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The situation only worsened when Moore was later arrested after he allegedly broke into the home of the staff member, and during an argument, grabbed butter knives and threatened to kill himself.

Sherrone Moore was charged on Friday with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors. AP

On Friday, he was charged with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors — stalking and breaking and entering.


Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore


Even Meyer, who created some controversy of his own during a brief, ill-fated tenure as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars — when he was seen on video in 2021 that showed him dancing suggestively with a woman who was not his wife and was later fired before finishing his lone season in Jacksonville — was stunned by Moore’s downfall.

“They’re up 6-0 on the Buckeyes at home,” Meyer said of Michigan’s early lead against rival Ohio State on Nov. 29. “And then, also, you wake up, and they’re in this situation. Rivalries aside, this is all human element. Now, this is something that, from what you read, that’s some serious stuff that went on. And just, all of a sudden, you start seeing the impact. Forget football. Who cares about football?’’

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Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland

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Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland


COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland 101-83.

Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.

Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.

Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.

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Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in the first half.

The Terps lost Payne, their leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, with 4:36 remaining before halftime. Yet Maryland stretched its lead from one to 50-45 at the midpoint, then expanded it to 56-47 on Elijah Saunders’ 3.

Washington, who had a first-half technical for celebrating a 3 in front of the Michigan bench, was called for a delay-of-game technical just after Saunders’ basket. His departure left the Terps without their two most experienced and imposing interior players.

Lendeborg took advantage, scoring the next eight points. Mara’s dunk with 14 minutes left made it 64-63 and gave the Wolverines the lead for good.

Elliot Cadeau’s layup with 21.2 seconds remaining got the Wolverines to 100 points for the fifth time this season.

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Up next

Michigan hosts La Salle on Dec. 21.

Maryland visits No. 24 Virginia on Dec. 20.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools

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Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools


GRAND RAPIDS, MI – After beginning a direct admittance program at one West Michigan high school in November, Aquinas College has now expanded the program to cover more classrooms.

The guaranteed admission program, first implemented for graduates of West Catholic High School with a 2.0 GPA or above, has now been expanded to Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids and Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

The partnership will apply to students from all three schools entering college in the fall of 2026.

The direct admission program was described by Aquinas College leaders as offering high school students a “clear path to college success” while also continuing to develop partnerships.

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Aquinas College, a private Catholic liberal arts institution located at 1700 Fulton St. E, was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886.

The college has enrolled 1,262 students during the 2025-26 academic year, and its new student numbers are up, with 419 new students on campus this fall, up from 311 in 2024-25.

The college’s overall enrollment total is just slightly under the approximately 1,300 students Aquinas recorded across its campus in 2023-24, according to a press release sent out in January 2025.

This year’s partnership announcements do not mark Aquinas’ first direct admittance deal.

The college also has a direct admit bachelor’s in nursing partnership with the University of Detroit Mercy, which allows students to take core curriculum courses at Aquinas and nursing classes from Detroit Mercy faculty.

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On Nov. 14, Aquinas announced its direct admittance deal with West Catholic High School.

The school, located at 1801 Bristol Ave. NW, enrolled just over 500 students as of the 2024-25 school year, according to an online school profile.

West Catholic President and CEO Jill Wierzbicki said the initiative simplifies the college application process and offers students a straightforward path to higher education.

On Nov. 20, Aquinas then announced it had also partnered with Grand Rapids’ Catholic Central High School, 319 Sheldon Blvd SE, which enrolls 567 students and is the oldest co-educational diocesan Catholic high school in the nation.

Brian Matzke, vice president for enrollment management, said there’s “no doubt that Aquinas here has had more graduates from Catholic Central than any other school in our history.”

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On Dec. 10, the college announced another partnership deal with Muskegon Catholic Central High School, 1145 W Laketon Ave., which enrolled just under 300 students in 2023-24, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Jerry McDowell, Muskegon Catholic Central president, said both the high school and Aquinas share a “deep commitment to developing the whole student — academically, spiritually, and individually.

“This direct-admit program provides our graduates with an exceptional opportunity to transition confidently into higher education while maintaining the Catholic values that guide their formation,” McDowell said.

Aquinas’ listed price for traditional undergraduate tuition is $41,192, according to senior director of strategic communications Dave DeJonge.

Students are eligible for annual merit scholarships between $15,000-$25,000, depending on their GPA and housing status. Additional scholarships may be available. This applies to all students who are admitted to Aquinas.

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Matzke highlighted the direct admittance program’s easy transition from one West Michigan school to another, with those accepted to Aquinas able to live on campus or commute from home depending on what best fits their needs.

He also said a growing Grand Rapids job market, combined with support from the college’s career center, contributes to a 97% placement rate for graduates.



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