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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Four-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, the nation’s top uncommitted offensive line prospect, pledged to Michigan on Monday night, securing first-year coach Sherrone Moore an offensive cornerstone for his inaugural recruiting class with the Wolverines.
Babalola turned down Stanford, Auburn, Missouri and Oklahoma to become the third-ranked prospect in the Wolverines’ 2025 class. A 6-foot-6, 270-pound blocker from Overland Park, Kansas, Babalola is ESPN’s No. 7 offensive tackle and No. 51 overall prospect in the cycle. Upon his pledge, only two of ESPN’s top-100 offensive tackles in 2025 — three-star prospects Austin Pay and Kaveon Lee — remain uncommitted.
Babalola, Kansas’ No. 1 prospect in 2025, took official visits in the spring to Auburn, Missouri, Stanford, Michigan and Oklahoma before his senior season at Blue Valley Northwest High School. He remained in contact with each of his finalists this fall before giving his pledge to Moore and the Wolverines, closing one of the most tight-lipped recruitments of the 2025 cycle.
Babalola now stands as Michigan’s top offensive commitment in 2025 and one of eight ESPN 300 pledges in a class led by four-star defensive backs Ivan Taylor (No. 41 in ESPN 300) and Kainoa Winston (No. 42). Babalola will arrive to Ann Arbor alongside four-star quarterback Carter Smith, ESPN’s No. 14 pocket passer in 2025, and skill position prospects including wide receivers Andrew Marsh (No. 62 in ESPN 300) and Jacob Washington (No. 218), and running back Donovan Johnson (No. 233).
Michigan’s incoming class was No. 15 in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the 2025 cycle.
Playing only his second season as a varsity starter this fall, Babaola is viewed as a high-ceiling, developmental prospect. His big frame and athleticism, which once made him a prominent basketball player on the AAU circuit, are reasons why Babaola is one of the most promising offensive tackle prospects in the 2025 class.
Elsewhere in the 2025 cycle, Michigan continues to pursue four-star linebacker Nathan Owusu-Boateng (No. 74 in ESPN 300), while Alabama is working to flip Taylor — the Wolverines’ top committed prospect — between now and the start of the early signing period Dec. 4.