2023 On300 DL Joel Starlings commits to Michigan after visit

On3 imageby:Peter Warren11/28/21

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Michigan‘s season-defining victory over Ohio State will reverberate all over the country for weeks and months to come.

The first domino to fall on the recruiting trail was Richmond (Va.) Benedictine four-star defensive lineman Joel Starlings, who committed the Wolverines on Sunday after attending The Game in Ann Arbor, Mich., the day before.

“Today I will be achieving one of my goals by committing to play football and further my education. here’s still more work to be done to get where I want to go,” Starlings tweeted. “On that note…I will be attending the University of Michigan.”

The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies – has Starlings as the No. 225 overall player in the country.

He is also the fourth-best recruit from Virginia behind Ashburn (Va.) Broad Run four-star interior offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier, Heathsville (Va.) Northumberland four-star athlete Cameron Seldon and Fredericksburg (Va.) Riverbend four-star tight end Mathias Barnwell. Birchmeier and Barnwell are both committed to Penn State.

Joel Starlings is the second commit in the 2023 class for Michigan

Joel Starlings is the second player to commit to the Wolverines in the 2023 cycle this holiday weekend. Ann Arbor (Mich.) Huron kicker Adam Samaha became the first commit in the 2023 Michigan class on Thanksgiving.

Starlings told On3’s Chad Simmons that Michigan was his dream school and have been the favorite for his signature since he received his offer.

“The visit was amazing,” Starlings said. “The game. The atmosphere. Everything was amazing. The environment was like a family atmosphere and it felt like family.”

There were many key recruits in Ann Arbor on Saturday, including Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei Five-Star Plus+ cornerback Domani Jackson, Charlestown (Ind.) High five-star offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin IMG Academy four-star safety and Clemson commit Keon Sabb and Concord (Calif.) De La Salle four-star safety Zeke Berry.