Michigan football jumps in recruiting rankings after key June commitments (2024)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A pair of teammates from New Orleans, a pair of teammates from IMG Academy and a linebacker on the rise have helped Michigan’s recruiting class crack the top 15 for the first time in the 2025 cycle.

Michigan’s biggest recruiting weekend of June yielded commitments from offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, running back Donovan Johnson, linebacker Chase Taylor and wide receiver Jacob Washington, a teammate of running back commit Jasper Parker. The Wolverines now have 12 commitments in their 2025 recruiting class, which jumped more than 35 spots in the 247Sports Composite rankings in the span of a little more than two weeks.

Here’s a rundown of all the recent developments.

Strayhorns bleed green … and now blue

Jason Strayhorn, a former all-Big Ten center at Michigan State, is getting ready for his 19th year as an analyst on MSU radio broadcasts. His son, Kaden, grew up around the press box and the sidelines of Spartan Stadium. Father and son both imagined Kaden playing on that field, but not quite like this.

Kaden, a three-star offensive lineman who attends IMG Academy, committed to Michigan on Sunday during his official visit. Now, once a year, Jason will have to separate his rooting interests like different colors in the washing machine.

“On that day, I’ll cheer for you,” Jason told Kaden. “But not for the Wolverines.”

The decision didn’t come out of the blue. Sherrone Moore began the recruiting process when Kaden was in the eighth grade, and once Michigan made Moore its head coach, Jason had a feeling Michigan was the team to beat.

Originally, Kaden thought about committing later in the summer. When the family met with Moore in his office at the conclusion of last weekend’s official visit, all it took was one question to bring out Kaden’s true feelings.

“He (Moore) asked everybody in the room, ‘How are you feeling?’” Jason said. “It was simple. It wasn’t a sales job. He didn’t give a speech.”

Kaden looked at his parents and said he was ready to commit. They supported the decision, even though it meant giving up the dream of Kaden following in his father’s footsteps at Michigan State.

Kaden visited Ohio State before his trip to Michigan, and it was the Buckeyes, not the Spartans, who finished as his runner-up. Kaden heard from Michigan State’s new coaching staff after Jonathan Smith was hired in November, but the conversations didn’t go very far.

“I remember asking him at one point, ‘Hey, how’s it going with State?” Jason said. “He said, ‘Dad, I haven’t heard from them.’ I thought that was interesting.”

Kaden’s offer list, which included Alabama, Georgia and USC, speaks to his potential as one of the top interior offensive line prospects in his class. Though he played right tackle last year at IMG, Michigan projects him as a center, his natural position and the one he expects to play as a senior.

“One question we heard from other coaches was, ‘Does he know how to snap the ball?’” Jason said. “If you do your homework, he was born snapping the ball. He’s back at home at the center position at IMG. He’s really looking forward to playing a full season at that position because he feels so comfortable there.”

Writing my own legacy… #committed 〽️ @Coach_SMoore @grant_newsome pic.twitter.com/dOCUlfNDqJ

— Kaden Strayhorn (@kaden_strayhorn) June 23, 2024

The Louisiana connection

Embedded in Michigan’s 2025 class is a history lesson about high school football in New Orleans.

For 19 seasons, Hank Tierney was the coach at Archbishop Shaw, a Catholic school on the west bank of the Mississippi River. He coached some of the best players in New Orleans, including Steelers safety and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, former Broncos coach Vance Joseph and wide receiver Ron Bellamy, who went on to play and coach at Michigan.

After his controversial exit from Shaw in 2002 amid alleged rule violations, Tierney ended up coaching at Ponchatoula High School on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, roughly halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Shaw’s fortunes faded, and in 2022, the school brought Tierney back in hopes of recapturing its past glory.

With Tierney back at Shaw, Bellamy has a natural connection to some of the best players in New Orleans. Two of those players, Washington and Parker, transferred to Shaw from New Orleans Jesuit before their junior seasons. Tierney didn’t know a lot about either player when they arrived, but in one year, they helped Shaw win 10 games in a row and advance to the semifinals of the state playoffs.

“Everything’s going in the right direction,” Tierney said. “A lot of that is a credit to Jasper and Jacob.”

Parker, a three-star prospect ranked No. 441 in the 247Sports Composite, announced his commitment on June 15. Washington, a four-star wide receiver ranked No. 320, committed nine days later after visits to Baylor, Missouri and Georgia Tech. Together, they give Michigan a tough between-the-tackles runner and a tall, fast wide receiver who’s only scratching the surface of his potential.

Parker came to Shaw with the reputation as one of the best playground football players in New Orleans and backed it up with more than 1,000 rushing yards as a junior. He’s listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds and could easily play at 215 in college, Tierney said, which would make him an ideal fit as the big back in Michigan’s offense. With his ability to make people miss, Tierney sees Parker as more than just a short-yardage runner.

“I think he’ll be a big back because he runs violent, but he’s also athletic,” Tierney said. “He can shake you. He can dunk backward with two hands and all that stuff.”

Washington didn’t start playing football until high school and spent last season working on his skill development after playing in a run-heavy offense at his previous school. He’s still learning the game, Tierney said, but 6-3 wide receivers who can run by defenders will always be in high demand.

“He’s worked himself into an extremely talented receiver who can go up and get the ball,” said Tierney, who coached Michigan wide receiver Amorion Walker at Ponchatoula. “He runs great routes and has all the things you can’t find anywhere. Six-three and 4.4 don’t grow on bushes.”

GO BLUE https://t.co/hN7vhbBZj5

— Jasper Parker (@jasperparker06) June 16, 2024

A 1-2 punch at running back

Once Parker announced his commitment, it didn’t take long for Michigan to add a second running back in Johnson, the No. 233 prospect in the composite rankings.

Johnson played his freshman season at Calvary Day School in Savannah, Ga., before transferring to IMG. He’s also a competitive sprinter and likely would have been higher in the recruiting rankings if not for a knee injury that sidelined him as a junior. Michigan saw enough before and after the injury to make Johnson a priority in its 2025 class, and Jason Strayhorn can vouch for Johnson’s abilities after watching him play at IMG.

“This is a sub-10.7 (second) 100-meter guy,” he said. “He’s 6-1, 6-2, and he looks for contact. Watching him in games, it’s like, ‘Damn.’ They got one. They really did.”

Taylor rounds out the haul

Michigan’s big recruiting weekend also produced a commitment from Taylor, a three-star linebacker from Stockbridge, Ga., who caught the eye of linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary when Jean-Mary was at Tennessee.

Taylor landed an offer from the Volunteers after attending their camp last summer. Chris Partridge, Michigan’s previous linebackers coach, offered him in October, and Jean-Mary continued his recruitment after joining the Michigan staff.

Taylor profiles as one of those do-it-all athletes who can play multiple positions on defense. At 6-3 and 205 pounds, he should be able to develop as an inside linebacker without sacrificing the quickness and closing speed that stand out in his high school highlights. His ability to drop back in coverage and rush off the edge should make him a player that Michigan can move around the field and utilize in multiple ways.

With Taylor in the fold, Michigan will be keeping a close eye on linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, another IMG prospect who visited last weekend. Owusu-Boateng, the No. 75 player in the composite rankings, named Michigan in his top five Wednesday alongside Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC and Florida.

(Photo of Sherrone Moore: Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today)

Austin Meek covers Michigan football and basketball for The Athletic. He previously covered college sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal and served as sports columnist at The Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon. Follow Austin on Twitter @byaustinmeek