Wolverine TV: Breaking down four-star Michigan DB commit Elijah Dotson

Michigan picked up a key recruiting win when four-star Belleville (Mich.) High safety Elijah Dotson gave the Wolverines a verbal pledge this week.

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland shares his thoughts on Dotson in the video at the end of this story.

Dotson Recruitment

Dotson was considered an early Michigan lean. However, the two sides went their separate ways when former Michigan cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale left for the NFL.

Dotson committed to Pitt in the spring and seemed firm in his decision. Michigan secondary coach LaMar Morgan circled back to Dotson this fall and got him on campus twice, including for the game against Oregon earlier this month.

Michigan was able to flip Dotson from Pitt soon after.

Here is what Holland had to say about Dotson.

“Dotson is a versatile piece on the back end who can play multiple positions,” Holland said. “He’s still raw from a technical standpoint, but he has good length and athleticism. I like him more as a safety, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him end up at nickel as Michigan is looking for more length and athleticism there. He can also play corner if needed. Landing Dotson could help Michigan in its pursuit of five-star LSU quarterback commit Bryce Underwood. The two are teammates at Belleville and good friends.”

At 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Dotson is ranked as the No. 20 cornerback and No. 157 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also ranked as the No. 2 overall recruit in the state of Michigan this cycle.

Michigan now has 19 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — Dotson, 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, 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.