Elite edge rusher Carter Meadows commits to Michigan over Ohio State

BOOOOOOM! Carter Meadows, one of the best edge rushers in the 2026 class, has committed to Michigan! He chose the Wolverines over Ohio State, Penn State and South Carolina. MORE:

To say that Michigan football recruiting is on fire right now might be an understatement. After earning five commitments earlier this week, the Wolverines one upped themselves and landed a sixth before the end of the week, and this one is a big one — elite edge rusher Carter Meadows .

The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder is from Washington D.C. and plays football at Gonzaga High School, the same school that produced Michigan offensive lineman Evan Link. Meadows earned his offer from Michigan last August and made a first quick trip to Ann Arbor for Michigan’s game against USC one month later. He took another unofficial visit this spring and then returned for his official visit the weekend of June 20.

As it is for any highly ranked player in the country, winning over Meadows’ commitment did not come easy. Lou Esposito and company had to deal with Ohio State, Penn State and South Carolina before knocking the official visit out of the park and sealing the deal.

“It was good, I really enjoyed it,” Meadows told 247Sports’ Brian Dohn ($). “Michigan has a good culture there, and they have the best of both worlds; high academics and high-level athletics and football.

“Being in that culture, being a Wolverine for a few days was a great feeling.”

247Sports’ Director of Recruiting Andrew Ivins wrote a scouting report of Meadows and compared him to Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns:

Spider-like pass rusher with exceptional physical specs, but one where the sack total has yet to match the big-league potential. Can give opposing offensive tackles fits just with his stride length as he can run the arc and right into the quarterback. Has spent much of prep career attacking from a 5-technique in a four-man front. Wins more times than not with his top-flight athleticism as he pairs adequate get-off with slippery inside-outside agility, but further technical development will dictate pressure rate on Saturdays and beyond as he’s got the levers to chop and swipe his way around the corner like few others. Makes his fair share of stops in backside pursuit with his closing speed, but has to get better at crushing blocks and holding his turf if he’s going to make a living as an every-down defender. Should be viewed as a high-upside edge player that has a chance to develop into an absolute game-wrecker at the Power Four level and then an early-round NFL Draft pick if he can soak up coaching and embrace the weight room. Might be worth a look in a hybrid off-the-ball role as spatial awareness fostered on the basketball court allows him to drop into zones and affect passing lanes.

Following this news, Michigan is now in the Top-10 in the class rankings and are tied with Penn State for the No. 8 spot. Meadows is the 17th overall player to commit to the Wolverines and the fifth defensive lineman, joining four-stars McHale Blade, Alister Vallejo and Titan Davis, as well as three-star Tariq Boney.

Meadows is ranked No. 1 in Washington D.C., No. 9 at the edge position and No. 72 overall on 247Sports’ composite rankings. He is a five-star prospect according to On3, and is a fringe five-star prospect on 247Sports’ personal rankings at No. 34 overall.

In six games as a junior last fall, Meadows compiled 33 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble. You can check out his junior season highlights below.