Michigan insider explains how Wolverines landed 5-star OT Andrew Babalola

Michigan picked up its biggest recruiting win in some time on Monday evening when Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola announced his commitment to the Wolverines.

The first five-star to pledge to the Maize and Blue since cornerback Will Johnson back in the 2022 cycle, Babalola is the crown jewel of the 2025 class for head coach Sherrone Moore and Co. The 6-foot-5.5 trench monster is the No. 11 overall prospect and No. 3 OT in the On300.

In the latest edition of ‘The Inside Scoop’, Michigan recruiting insider EJ Holland sat down with On3’s Josh Newberg to break down what the addition of Babalola means for the Wolverines and how the Big Ten program was able to beat Stanford, Auburn and others for his commitment.

“It’s been a while for Michigan fans, who’ve been craving this big-time recruiting win — and that’s what you’re getting in Andrew Babalola,” Holland said. “You’re getting one of the nation’s premier tackles, a true five-star talent, a potential first-round draft pick…a guy that can be that rare true freshman who could come in and start right away for Michigan.”

Babalola headlines Michigan’s 2025 recruiting class, which now ranks No. 12 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big Ten, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. In total, the class features 17 commits, 13 of whom are blue-chip recruits.

Michigan offered Babalola ‘the best of both worlds’

Babalola’s recruitment went on much longer than most — including Babalola — anticipated. Originally eyeing a decision at the end of the summer, the five-star continued to weigh his options and pushed things into the fall.

Stanford originally had the momentum heading into Babalola’s senior season, though each of Auburn, Oklahoma and Missouri were all trying hard to land frontrunner status. Michigan had always been near the top, though, and a few big factors played a major role in eventually landing his pledge in October, according to Holland.

“As far as how they won this recruitment, it was an interesting one, obviously. Michigan continued to be the constant in this recruitment, despite a series of delays. Babalola was considered a Stanford lean in the summer, he continued to push things back, Auburn tried to make a late run, Auburn obviously has a ton of NIL to work with, but I think Michigan was just that school that offered the best of both worlds for him,” Holland said.

“High-level academics, high-level development on the football field, and you know, NIL didn’t become that factor that maybe it would’ve become for other five-stars in this era. I think Michigan did do well with NIL, or well enough, but the two main factors for Babalola were always development and education, and Michigan had that. Plus, you have a head coach in Sherrone Moore, who was also previously the offensive line coach, who’s also from Kansas, and that played a big role for Babalola as well.”

Michigan will now look to hold on to commitments from the likes of four-star safety Ivan Taylor and four-star tight end Andrew Olesh, while also pursuing other top uncommitted recruits to flesh out its senior class. Landing Babalola could lead to some important recruiting momentum with the Early Signing Period less than two months away.