Wolverine TV: Breaking down five key Michigan recruits we saw on the road

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland was in Florida and Virginia last week seeing several Michigan recruits, including On300 U-M quarterback commit Carter Smith.

Watch Holland share his thoughts from his travels in the video above.

Smith Recruitment

Smith had a sensational junior season that saw him pass for 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns with just four interceptions. A true dual-threat quarterback, Smith also added 715 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground and led Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot to an 11-2 record.

Smith notched an offer from Michigan in November while on an unofficial visit and gave the Wolverines a verbal pledge later that month.

“I was trying to be patient throughout the recruiting process,” Smith said after his commitment. “I wanted the right school to click. I went up there for that Purdue game and was around for a couple of days. Being around the coaches and the people in the building, it just felt right. There was no problem with it. It had all the benefits I wanted. It just felt like the right place.”

Smith, who was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida, picked Michigan over offers from Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and others.

Smith was in Ann Arbor for Victors Weekend in June and will be back for at least one game this fall. He is set to enroll early.

At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Smith is ranked as the No. 15 quarterback and No. 193 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also ranked at the No. 30 overall recruit in the state of Florida for next cycle.

Michigan has 17 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — Top 100 Katy (Texas) Jordan wide receiver Andrew Marsh, Top 100 Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh, Top 100 Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange safety Ivan Taylor, Top 100 Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga defensive back Kainoa Winston, Top 100 Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick defensive lineman Nate Marshall, On300 Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith, On300 Alpharetta (Ga.) High EDGE Julius Holly, On300 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy running back Donovan Johnson, On300 Kilgore (Texas) High cornerback Jayden Sanders, four-star New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw wide receiver Jacob Washington, four-star Palatine (Ill.) High EDGE Jaylen Williams, four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach, four-star Howell (Mich.) High defensive lineman Bobby Kanka, three-star New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker, three-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) High linebacker Chase Taylor and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class entered the day ranked No. 14 nationally and No. 3 in the Big Ten, per the On3 Industry national team recruiting rankings. The Wolverines currently sit behind Ohio State and Oregon.