It’s no secret that Michigan football has faced challenges in securing top-100 recruits. They didn’t land any in the 2023 class and only had one in 2024.wdt
Although rankings aren’t everything, elite talent is still crucial. Michigan does have a top-100 commitment from Nate Marshall for 2025, but his recent visit to Auburn has cast some doubt on that.
However, Michigan is strongly pursuing top-100 defensive back Kainoa Winston from Washington, D.C. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound safety is ranked 88th overall in the 2025 class and ninth at his position according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
Winston recently took an official visit to Michigan and was at Penn State last weekend after narrowing his list to three teams. While Penn State and Michigan were the clear favorites, Winston is now leaning towards U-M after his visit to Happy Valley.
Michigan football is now favored to land this top-100 defensive back. EJ Holland of The Wolverine has projected Winston to choose Michigan, giving the Wolverines an 80-percent chance of securing his commitment according to the On3 prediction machine. Josh Henschke from the Maize and Blue Review also forecasted Winston joining Michigan football.
This would be significant news for the Wolverines and another major recruiting success for Sherrone Moore. Securing Winston, especially over Penn State, would be a notable achievement for Moore and the Michigan football program.
