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The Wolverines have received and endured flips over the last few cycles, but these are the most important.
Sherrone Moore received great news yesterday when 2025 four-star safety Ivan Taylor flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to the Michigan Wolverines. Taylor — who is ranked No. 50 overall — is the third top-100 player to commit to Michigan in this cycle, according to 247Sports’ composite.
That got me wondering…what have been some of the most important flips in recent Michigan football history? There have been plenty over the years, but these are the most significant ones, in my opinion, dating back to the 2022 recruiting class.
2024 class: Four-star CB Jo’Ziah Edmond
Edmond was a big win on the recruiting trail, as the Wolverines missed out on several of their other highest prioritized cornerbacks in this class. Originally committed to Purdue, Edmond was a rising recruit when Michigan offered him. He eventually flipped in Aug. 2023 and ended the cycle as a fringe top-150 prospect. While he may not see the field much this fall, his potential is sky-high.
2024 class: Three-star DT Deyvid Palepale
This was a very interesting recruitment. Palepale had Michigan in his initial top list, and predictions came through for the Wolverines to land him. However, he decided to commit to USC in July 2023, but then flipped his commitment to Michigan just a few weeks before National Signing Day in Dec. 2023. He will likely redshirt this year, but he could be a player to watch a couple years down the road.
2023 class: Four-star S Brandyn Hillman
This was another really interesting one. Hillman, who committed to and signed with Notre Dame in Dec. 2022, actually requested to be released from his letter of intent in March 2023. A number of other schools, including Ohio State and Wisconsin, also offered him, but Hillman eventually chose Michigan. He played sparingly as a true freshman, but he should see the field more in 2024.
2023 class: Three-star DL Cameron Brandt
This was another 11th hour flip for the Wolverines, as Brandt had been committed to Stanford for seven months before signing his letter of intent with Michigan in Feb. 2023. Brandt played in 14 total games last season and is expected to see even more playing time this fall.
2022 class: Four-star DL Mason Graham
Graham was actually committed to Boise State before signing with Michigan. He wasn’t the highest regarded prospect at the time of his initial commitment, but the Wolverines saw his talent, offered him in August 2021 and got him on campus for an official visit in September. He flipped just six days after his trip to Ann Arbor, and he has been a force on the defensive line since his freshman season.
2022 class: Three-star WR/CB Amorion Walker
Walker committed to Notre Dame in March 2021, but he took other visits throughout the process, including to Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss. He finally flipped on National Signing Day and signed to play at Michigan. After briefly transferring to Ole Miss this offseason, Walker came back to Michigan and may play a crucial role at wideout this season.
2022 class: Three-star QB Alex Orji
The Wolverines managed to flip a fair amount of players from the 2022 class, as Orji flipped from Virginia Tech and signed with Michigan on National Signing Day. He has played in a reserve role in Ann Arbor, but Orji is in the midst of the QB1 competition for this fall.
2024 class: Four-star edge Elias Rudolph
Rudolph was the first of three defensive line prospects to flip from Michigan to another school in his class. He committed to Michigan in July 2023, but flipped to Miami just one month later.
2024 class: Four-star DL Jacob and Jerod Smith
It was a rough go for a little while for defensive line recruiting in the 2024 cycle. Not long after Rudolph’s flip, Jacob and Jerod Smith both flipped to Kentucky in Sept. 2023 and signed their letters of intent with the Wildcats.
2023 class: Four-star edge Collins Acheampong
Michigan’s highest ranked player for a short while in the 2023 class, Acheampong committed in July 2022 and then later flipped to Miami in Nov. 2022. After his true freshman year at Miami, Acheampong entered the portal and is now at UCLA.
2022 class: Four-star edge Ethan Burke
The recruiting gods giveth and they also taketh away. Burke committed to Michigan on Dec. 1, 2022. Unfortunately, the hometown Texas Longhorns offered him right before National Signing Day, so he flipped to stay close to home. This one hurts, as he led the Longhorns in sacks last season (5.5) and also had 41 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He’s one of the better edge rushers in the country heading into the 2024 season.
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