The Wolverines will have a fight on their hands for this Top 60 prospect with the Crimson Tide making a push…
Michigan scored a big win on the trail in early July when it flipped four-star West Orange (Fla.) safety Ivan Taylor away from regional rival Notre Dame, but the Wolverines are now in a fight of their own to keep the Top 60 national prospect in their class. On Tuesday night, On3 Sports reported that Taylor — the highest-ranked prospect in Michigan’s class — will take a visit to Alabama later this month.
“It’s Michigan and Alabama who I talk to,” Taylor told On3’s Joseph Hastings.
Taylor originally committed to Notre Dame on Dec. 1, 2023 before flipping his commitment to Michigan on July 8. The 6-foot, 174-pounder is considered the No. 56 overall prospect, No. 6 safety and No. 8 player from the state of Florida according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. Taylor is one of three Michigan commits ranked in the Top 100, alongside Fulshear (Texas) Katy Jordan wide receiver Andrew Marsh and Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh.
Here’s what 247Sports’ director of scouting Andrew Ivins had to say about Taylor:
“A high-IQ safety prospect with elite NFL bloodlines and a top-flight testing profile. Measured roughly 6-foot, 170 pounds spring before junior campaign, clocking a 4.5-second effort in the 40-yard dash that day to go along with a 4.25-second short shuttle. Quick-footed with plenty of agility. Has spent most of prep career working in a two-deep system and has shown that he can get where he needs to be. Competitive at the catch point and does a nice job of turning his head to find the football. A sound open-field tackler at this stage that will launch at legs and get ball carries on the ground. However, needs to get a little bit better at getting off blocks and sifting through traffic. Will eventually need to add some mass and improve play strength, but should be viewed as a potential multi-year starter for a top 25 program. Likely to find a home at the third level of a defense, but sticky enough in man-coverage possibly warrant a look as an inside corner on Saturdays.”
The state of Alabama has been unkind to the Wolverines already in this current recruiting cycle. In late August, Michigan watched its previously highest-ranked commit — four-star Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwich defensive lineman Nathaniel Marshall — flip his pledge from the Wolverines to the Auburn Tigers. Marshall is considered the No. 50 overall prospect in the 2025 class, per the Composite.
Michigan currently has 16 players committed to its 2025 recruiting class, which ranks No. 15 in the country and No. 5 in the Big Ten Conference. The Wolverines’ average recruit rating of 91.68 is the 10-best mark nationally and the third-best in the conference.