ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A pair of New Orleans teammates, a pair of IMG Academy teammates and a rising linebacker have helped Michigan’s recruiting class crack the top 15 for the first time in the 2025 cycle.
Michigan’s biggest recruiting weekend in June produced 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 just over two weeks.
Below is a summary of all recent developments.
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The Strayhorns bleed green…and now blue
Jason Strayhorn, former Big Ten center at Michigan State, is preparing for his 19th year as an analyst on MSU radio broadcasts. His son, Kaden, grew up around the press box and on the sidelines of Spartan Stadium. Both father and son imagined Kaden playing on that field, but not 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 interests like they are different colors in the washing machine.
“On that day, I’ll support you,” Jason told Kaden. “But not the Wolverines.”
The decision did not come out of nowhere. Sherrone Moore began the recruiting process when Kaden was in eighth grade, and once Michigan named Moore as head coach, Jason had a feeling that Michigan was the team to beat.
Kaden initially thought about getting engaged later this summer. When the family met with Moore in his office at the conclusion of last weekend’s official visit, it only took one question for Kaden to let his true feelings be known.
“He (Moore) asked everyone in the room, ‘How do you feel?’” Jason said. “It was straightforward. It wasn’t a sales pitch. 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 on Kaden’s dream of 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 second. Kaden heard from Michigan State’s new coaching staff after Jonathan Smith was hired in November, but the talks didn’t go very far.
“I remember at one point I asked him, ‘Hey, how’s State going?’ Jason said. “He said, ‘Dad, I haven’t heard from them.’ I thought it 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. Although he played right tackle last year at IMG, Michigan projects him as center, his natural position and the one he hopes 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 home at center at IMG. He’s looking forward to playing a full season at that position because he’s so comfortable there.”
Writing my own legacy… #engaged 〽️ @Coach_SMoore @grant_newsome pic.twitter.com/dOCULfNDqJ
— Kaden Strayhorn (@kaden_strayhorn) June 23, 2024
The Louisiana Connection
Embedded in Michigan’s Class of 2025 is a history lesson about New Orleans high school football.
For 19 seasons, Hank Tierney coached at Archbishop Shaw, a Catholic school on the west bank of the Mississippi River. He coached some of New Orleans’ top players, including Steelers safety and KeynoteUSA analyst Ryan Clark, former Broncos coach Vance Joseph and wide receiver Ron Bellamy, who later played and coached at Michigan.
Following his controversial departure from Shaw in 2002 amid alleged rules 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 luck 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 with some of New Orleans’ top players. Two of those players, Washington and Parker, transferred to Shaw from New Orleans Jesuit before their junior seasons. Tierney didn’t know much about either player when they arrived, but within a year they helped Shaw win 10 straight games and advance to the state playoff semifinals.
“Everything is going well,” Tierney said. “A lot of that is down to Jasper and Jacob.”
Parker, a three-star prospect ranked No. 441 by 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 runner between the tackles and a long, fast wide receiver who is just scratching the surface of his potential.
Parker came to Shaw with a reputation as one of the best football players on the New Orleans playground and backed it up with more than 1,000 rushing yards as a junior. He is listed as 6-foot-10, 180 pounds and could easily play at 210 pounds in college, Tierney said, which would make him an ideal running back for Michigan’s offense. With his ability to make people miss him, Tierney sees Parker as more than just a short-yardage rusher.
“I think he’ll be a great running back because he runs hard, but he’s also athletic,” Tierney said. “He can stagger you. He can do two-handed back-dunks and all that.”
Washington didn’t start playing football until high school and spent last season working on developing his skills after playing in a run-based offense at his previous school. He’s still learning the game, Tierney said, but 6-foot-3 wide receivers who can outrun defenders will always be in high demand.
“He’s become an extremely talented receiver who can go up and catch 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 else. The six, three and 4.4 don’t grow on bushes.”
—Jasper Parker (@jasperparker06) June 16, 2024
A 1-2 hit to the runner
Once Parker announced his commitment, it wasn’t long until Michigan added a second running back in Johnson, the No. 233 prospect in the composite rankings.
Johnson played his freshman year at Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia, before transferring to IMG. He’s also a competitive speedster and likely would have been higher in 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 attest to Johnson’s abilities after watching him play at IMG.
“He is a 100-meter runner who runs under 10.7 seconds,” he said. “He is 1.85 m tall and looks for contact. Seeing him at games, you think: ‘Damn!’ They have achieved it. They have really achieved it.”
Taylor completes the loot
Michigan’s big recruiting weekend also produced a commitment from Taylor, a three-star linebacker from Stockbridge, Georgia, who caught the eye of linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary when Jean-Mary was at Tennessee.
Taylor received an offer from the Volunteers after attending their camp last summer. Chris Partridge, Michigan’s former linebackers coach, offered him in October, and Jean-Mary continued recruiting him after joining Michigan’s staff.
Taylor emerges as one of those 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 highlighted his high school highlights. His ability to drop back into coverage and run off the edge should make him a player Michigan can move around the field and utilize in multiple ways.
With Taylor in the fold, Michigan will keep 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 on Wednesday along with Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC and Florida.
(Photo by Sherrone Moore: Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today)
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