Michigan football's 2025 recruiting class now in top-10 after Shamari Earls flip

The Michigan Wolverines are back to having major momentum on the recruiting trail for the 2025 cycle, after a pair of commitment flips on Friday in the form of top-100 cornerback Shamari Earls and three-star defensive lineman Benny Patterson.

After the Friday commitments, Michigan finds itself back in the top 10 of On3’s Industry Ranking at No. 10 overall behind Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Texas, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas A&M, respectively. The class is third in the Big Ten behind the Buckeyes and Ducks.

Considering some of the other buzz on the trail, there could still be some upward trajectory, too.

The 2025 haul features 5 top-100 commits after the previous four recruiting classes had 7 combined. Currently, the class is led by five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola (No. 18 overall), four-star safety Ivan Taylor (No. 60), Earls (No. 65), four-star tight end Andrew Olesh (No. 71) and four-star wide receiver Andrew Marsh (No. 80).

The rest of the class features four-star safety Kainoa Winston (No. 130), four-star cornerback Jayden Sanders (No. 165), four-star defensive lineman Jaylen Williams (No. 256), four-star offensive lineman Avery Gach (No. 264), four-star wide receiver Jacob Washington (No. 290), four-star EDGE Julius Holly (No. 306), four-star running backs Jasper Parker (No. 335) and Donovan Johnson (No. 368), three-star defensive lineman Bobby Kanka (No. 464), three-star offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn (No. 518), three-star tight end Eli Owens (No. 530), three-star linebacker Chase Taylor (No. 673) and Patterson (No. 681)

The Earls commitment came late Friday night after buzz picked up in the last two weeks on a potential flip from the Georgia Bulldogs. Earls told our EJ Holland that the chance to play early along with the atmosphere confirmed his choice.

“After the most recent visit for the Michigan State game, I knew,” Earls said. “I was leaning towards them. I wanted to take another visit to confirm everything, and it definitely did. I enjoyed being around the people again and the fans. They played a big part. I want to be somewhere that wants me for me.”

Patterson’s commitment came on Friday morning after flipping from Cincinnati. He visited for the Michigan State game last week, which played a major role in his decision, per his father.

“Just the atmopshere, coaching staff, meeting with Coach Lou (Esposito) and Coach Moore and that whole recruiting staff, they were awesome,” Patterson’s father told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “I think the atmosphere at the game that night when they played Michigan State was second to none. From the crowd to the team.”