Michigan football strengthens position for top-100 defensive back

Michigan football kicked off a big recruiting month by hosting some elite prospects for official visits last weekend. One of them was four-star defensive back Kainoa Winston.

Winston, who is 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, is ranked 88th overall according to the 247 Sports composite rankings for the 2025 class. Out of Washington, D.C., Winston recently released a top four that included Michigan football, Penn State, Oregon, and North Carolina.

However, the top-100 prospect overall visited Ann Arbor this weekend and it sounds like Michigan football knocked it out of the park according to what Winston told The Wolverine.

Michigan official visit 'sets the bar really high' for Top 100 DB Kainoa Winston. #GoBlue https://t.co/xo3d49aCdF pic.twitter.com/yIasV9hgDg

— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineOn3) June 5, 2024

“Michigan still stands high,” Winston said. “They set the bar really high on this visit. I really like the people, the culture, and the school. Ann Arbor is chill and laid back. I just like it there. (Michigan)’s high up there for me. I know I have a couple of more visits left, but this one set the bar high.”

Penn State is the leader according to the On3 prediction machine right now, but nobody has a better than 50 percent chance of landing his commitment. So there isn’t a clear leader yet. The Wolverines are in a strong position but top-100 recruits have been hard for Michigan to close with due to NIL.

The Nittany Lions will host Winston this weekend. Oregon will be up next, followed by North Carolina. Oregon definitely isn’t shying away from offering pay-for-play. Neither is North Carolina. So Michigan needs to answer that question. U-M also has to maintain this momentum through the rest of the visits, but the Wolverines did what they could do and it feels like they are in the top two right now. Hopefully, they end up as No. 1.

There are no crystal ball predictions at this time.

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