Michigan lands pledge from four-star OT Babalola

Eli Lederman, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 21, 2024, 10:42 PM ET Close Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.Four-star offensive take on Andrew

Babalola, the nation’s top uncommitted offending line prospect, promised to Michigan on Monday night, securing first-year coach Sherrone Moore an offensive cornerstone for his inaugural recruiting class with the Wolverines.Babalola turned down Stanford, Auburn, Missouri and Oklahoma to end up being the third-ranked prospect in the Wolverines’2025 class. A 6-foot-6, 270-pound blocker from Overland Park, Kansas, Babalola is ESPN’s No. 7 offensive take on and No. 51 overall possibility in the cycle. Upon his pledge, just 2 of ESPN’s top-100 offending takes on in 2025– three-star prospects Austin Pay and Kaveon Lee– stay uncommitted.Babalola, Kansas’No. 1 possibility in 2025, took official gos to in the spring to Auburn, Missouri, Stanford, Michigan and Oklahoma before his senior season at Blue Valley Northwest High School. He stayed in contact with each of his finalists this fall before offering his pledge to Moore and the Wolverines, closing one of the most tight-lipped recruitments of the 2025 cycle.Editor’s Picks

1 Related Babalola now stands as Michigan’s top offensive dedication in 2025 and among eight ESPN 300 pledges in a class led by four-star protective backs Ivan Taylor (No. 41 in ESPN 300) and Kainoa Winston (No. 42). Babalola will arrive to Ann Arbor along with four-star quarterback Carter Smith, ESPN’s No. 14 pocket passer in 2025, and ability position prospects including wide receivers Andrew Marsh (No. 62 in ESPN 300) and Jacob Washington (No. 218), and running back Donovan Johnson (No. 233).

Michigan’s inbound class was No. 15 in ESPN’s newest team rankings for the 2025 cycle.Playing only his 2nd season as an university starter this fall, Babaola is considered as a high-ceiling, developmental possibility. His huge frame and athleticism, which when made him a popular basketball player on the AAU circuit, are reasons that Babaola is one of the most promising offensive tackle prospects in the 2025 class.Elsewhere in the 2025 cycle, Michigan continues to pursue

four-star linebacker Nathan Owusu-Boateng(No. 74 in ESPN 300), while Alabama is working to turn Taylor– the Wolverines ‘top dedicated possibility– in between now and the start of the early signing duration Dec. 4.