Official visit season is well underway, with the first round of prospects swinging through Ann Arbor to visit with Sherrone Moore and the Michigan Wolverines this past weekend.
How did those visits go? We’ll dive into a couple reactions in this edition of the Recruiting Roundup. But first...
Four-star Vanderbilt commit eyeing two visits to U-M
LaMar Morgan has been grinding on the recruiting trail since arriving in Ann Arbor. One of his most recent offers was sent out to 2025 four-star safety Carson Lawrence. The 6-foot-2, 194-pounder from Chattanooga, Tennessee has been committed to Vanderbilt for nearly a year, but that hasn’t stopped schools like Michigan from recruiting him.
In a recent interview with The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($), Lawrence discussed his conversation with Morgan and landing the offer.
“Coach Morgan told me (I was being offered) on the phone and I just immediately started smiling,” Lawrence said. “Always thought of it as a possible place to go, but I just like their winning culture.”
Another feather in Michigan’s cap is that 2025 four-star tight end commit Eli Owens. He and Lawrence have known each other for a couple years, playing 7-on-7 football together. “He’s definitely let us all know that he thinks Michigan is the move,” Lawrence said.
Now with the offer in hand, Lawrence plans on taking a couple trips to Ann Arbor. Although exact dates haven’t been mapped out just yet, he does intend on taking an unofficial visit and an official visit.
“Sometime this summer definitely,” is when he plans on unofficially visiting.
Lawrence is ranked No. 9 in the state of Tennessee, No. 29 at the safety position and No. 328 overall on 247Sports’ composite. He also holds offers from schools like Miami, Ole Miss, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and more.
Michigan ‘probably higher’ on the list for top-100 defender
Among the official visitors this past weekend was 2025 four-star defensive back Kainoa Winston. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder from Gonzaga High School in Washington D.C. is a huge priority for the Wolverines, as Winston is a versatile athlete who can play either the safety position or the nickel.
Winston recapped his time in Ann Arbor over the weekend with TMI’s Sam Webb ($) and detailed how Michigan is in even better standing than before the visit.
“They’re probably higher because it was even better than my first time,” Winston said. “I got to learn more about the program, I got to be around players more, the coaches, and some of the other recruits. I feel really good up there. I feel like I can be successful up there. I feel like my family would be good if I go up there. It’s not that far and they can come to games. My brother liked it up there and (so did) my mom and my dad. Everybody liked it up there. We liked the coaching staff and liked the vibes up there.”
Equally as important as Winston having a good time was his mother also enjoying the trip. This was her first time at Michigan — she only previously visited Penn State and North Carolina — so it was vital for her to check out the area on this visit.
“She thinks highly of Michigan,” Winston said. “It’s a lot like Gonzaga — good football, and good education. And that’s really one of the reasons I came to Gonzaga, and that’s one of the reasons she wanted me to come (to Gonzaga). She talked a lot about (life) after football (and) all the connections Michigan has, all of the networking they have. They talked to her about that, and they talked to us (recruits) about that in some of the meetings. So she really liked it there and then she thinks it is a good fit for me.”
Moving forward, Winston has official visits set up to Penn State this weekend, followed by Oregon and North Carolina. After he takes those trips, he plans on making a commitment, which he anticipates being “sometime this month.”
Top-100 OL ‘loved every day’ of OV to U-M
One of the top ranked offensive linemen on the board for the Wolverines in the 2025 cycle is four-star Douglas Utu. The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas is ranked No. 67 overall and No. 2 along the interior of the offensive line in this class, per 247Sports’ composite.
Utu took his official visit to Michigan over the weekend and shared how it went with On3’s Zach Libby ($).
“I loved every day I had to spend out there. It was really good,” Utu said. “Their staff was there the whole time.”
Utu also gave his thoughts on Michigan’s new head coach, as well as new offensive line coach Grant Newsome. Both seem to have made a big impression.
“I love Coach Moore,” Utu said. “We’ve been talking for quite a long time ever since he offered me my sophom*ore year. That’s pretty much the main person that kicked off all my big recruitments.
“Coach Newsome, just his language and the way he talks about the game is something else compared to a lot of the other schools I’ve been to. That’s the main thing that stuck out for me. It was just coach Newsome talking to me about football and how I work within their playbook.”
Utu has already officially visited Washington, and now plans to officially visit Alabama this upcoming weekend, followed by Tennessee, Nebraska and Oregon. Once he takes those visits, he will evaluate all options and then make a commitment, although there is no firm timeline for when that will happen.
However, whenever he does make that decision, it sounds like Michigan will be a tough team to beat.
“I’ve had a lot of interest in Michigan for a long time,” Utu said. “Ever since they offered me, then ever since I was able to see their O-line work, they all work together well. There’s not one person that sticks out. They’re all on the same page. That’s the main thing that stuck out to me when it comes to their tradition as an O-line.”
