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

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland was recently on the road in the DMV and saw several recruits in game action. Here is a look at five key prospects he watched live, including On300 Michigan safety commit Kainoa Winston.

Watch the full video at the end of this story.

Michigan secured a commitment from Winston in early June.

Penn State was considered the leader for Winston for the majority of the process. He made several visits to Happy Valley and his cousin, KJ, plays for the Nittany Lions.

However, Michigan made him a top priority this cycle and wowed him on his unofficial visit in the spring. The Wolverines built even more momentum with Winston when he returned to Ann Arbor for his official visit shortly before he made his final decision.

Here is what Holland had to say about his recruitment.

“Kainoa is on the smaller side, but he plays much bigger than his size,” Holland said. “He’s physical and spends a lot of his time in the box and around the line of scrimmage. Kainoa has a high floor and should be an early contributor at Michigan.”

At 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, Winston is ranked as the No. 10 safety and No. 109 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in Washington D.C. this cycle.

Michigan has 19 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — five-star Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, Top 100 Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale cornerback Shamari Earls, 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, On300 Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga defensive back Kainoa Winston, On300 Alpharetta (Ga.) High EDGE Julius Holly, On300 Kilgore (Texas) High cornerback Jayden Sanders, On300 New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw wide receiver Jacob Washington, On300 Newburgh (Ind.) Castle defensive lineman Benny Patterson, On300 Palatine (Ill.) High EDGE Jaylen Williams, On300 New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker, four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy running back Donovan Johnson, four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach, three-star Howell (Mich.) High defensive lineman Bobby Kanka, three-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) High linebacker Chase Taylor, three-star Lake Worth (Fla.) Santaluces wide receiver Jamar Browder and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class entered the day ranked No. 11 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.