Signee Spotlight: Five-star OL signee Andrew Babalola on wild process, why Michigan, more

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland sat down with five-star Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest offensive lineman Andrew Babalola to talk about signing with Michigan and more.

Watch the full Q&A in the video at the end of this story.

Babalola Recruitment

Michigan extended an offer to Babalola last fall and has made him a top priority along the offensive line this cycle.

Babalola visited Michigan in the spring and returned to Ann Arbor for his official visit in June. Both head coach Sherrone Moore and new offensive line coach Grant Newsome built strong relationships with the Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest product and were able to win him over in October. He signed with the Wolverines on Wednesday.

Here is what Holland had to say about Babalola.

“Babalola was a huge land for Michigan,” Holland said. “He is a premier offensive tackle. This recruitment had a lot of twists and turns as Babalola delayed his decision on multiple occasions. However, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore and offensive line coach Grant Newsome did a fantastic job of winning him over. Babalola has the potential to come in and start as a true freshman.”

At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, Babalola is ranked as the No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 15 overall recruit nationally, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

Michigan has 23 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — five-star Belleville (Mich.) High quarterback Bryce Underwood, five-star Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, Top 100 Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick EDGE Nate Marshall, Top 100 Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale cornerback Shamari Earls, Top 100 Monroe (N.C.) High safety Jordan Young, 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 New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker, four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, 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, three-star Louisville (Ky.) Fern Creek defensive lineman Travis Moten and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class is ranked No. 6 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.