Recruiting Roundup: Predictions rolling in for U-M to land four-star CB visiting for BBQ

And Ron Bellamy continues to make inroads in “The Boot.”

Michigan recruiting stayed hot on the trail this past weekend, as the Wolverines added another commitment on Saturday. Meanwhile, momentum is starting to pick up steam with a top target at a position of need.

In today’s Recruiting Roundup, we’ll discuss a major target planning a return visit to Ann Arbor, Ron Bellamy’s Louisiana roots continuing to bear fruit, and updates on some former and current Michigan targets.

Prediction for four-star CB slated for BBQ Visit

After speaking with sources last week, The Wolverine’s EJ Holland logged a prediction for 2025 four-star cornerback Jayden Sanders to land with the Wolverines.

It appears Michigan may be quickly picking up momentum in the recruitment of the 6-foot-2, 172-pounder from Kilgore, Texas. After visiting campus for the first time in June, he told On3’s Steve Wiltfong ($) he’s planning to return for the BBQ at the Big House, and a decision is expected shortly after.

“I’m closing in on a decision around the beginning of August after I go to the barbecue in Ann Arbor,” Sanders said. He also noted he’s looking forward to, “getting back up there and getting to talk to the players more while learning more about Ann Arbor.”

Michigan is battling Vanderbilt, Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU , the latter of which is where Sanders’ father was a first-team All-Mountain West defensive back. Although Michigan may appear to be the outlier geographically, defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan will get the final pitch before Sanders shuts things down.

Sanders has recently seen ranking surge after a successful camp and 7-on-7 circuit. He is now the 317th ranked overall recruit in the country and 32nd cornerback, and is now a composite four-star.

Ron Bellamy successfully recruiting “The Boot”

On Saturday, 2025 three-star wide receiver Phillip Wright went public with his commitment to the University of Michigan. Wright — who is the third Louisiana native to commit to the Wolverines in the last month — is a massive win for wide receiver coach Ron Bellamy against SEC powers LSU and Georgia, which rounded out Wright’s top-three schools.

Bellamy, who is originally from New Orleans, has prioritized his former stomping grounds on the trail. In the spring, he extended offers to two standouts at his high school alma mater, Archbishop Shaw, in four-star running back Jasper Parker and four-star wide receiver Jacob Washington. Both players pledged to the Wolverines in June, which paved the way for a flashy new recruiting pipeline catchphrase, “From The Boot to The Mitten.”

Parker and Washington assisted in securing Wright’s commitment by pitching the idea of the trio making the move from New Orleans to Ann Arbor together. Wright’s father told reporters his son and Washington are good friends and, “they came together on their decision saying that they can go out to Ann Arbor and make an impact.” Wright echoed that by saying that talking with Parker and Washington, “helped because we already know each other and [we’re] bringing the Boot to Michigan, and we’re going to make some big things happen.”

When asked if he was now going to recruit any other Bayou talents to Michigan, Wright smirked and brought up his 2026 top-100 wide receiver teammate, Jabari Mack .

After stomping through Louisiana in 2025 and establishing a footprint, Bellamy will surely be lacing them up to hit his home state in future cycles.

Quick Hitters

• 2025 four-star wide receiver Taz Williams committed to Baylor on Saturday. Michigan was once considered a favorite in this recruitment before the two sides decided to go in different directions. In the lead up to his commitment, Penn State was the school trending, but the Nittany Lions could not hold off a late push from the in-state Baylor Bears .
• Derek Meadows , the four-star wide receiver from Bishop Gorman, was originally set to make his college decision this past Saturday. However, 247Sports’ Blair Angulo ($) reported late last week that Meadows decided to push his commitment date to July 20 instead. The buzz on the trail is that calls from both Notre Dame and Michigan caused the delay while Meadows and his camp try to nail down a final decision.
• 2025 four-star defensive lineman DJ Sanders told 247Sports’ Brice Marich ($) that he plans to be in Ann Arbor for the Sept. 7 home game vs. Texas. Michigan fans were hoping to see him attend the BBQ at the Big House later this month, but Sanders has a schedule conflict. The gameday visit will allow the top-100 defensive lineman to see two of his top schools in action as the Wolverines battle both the in-state Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies for Sanders’ pledge.