Michigan snagged a top 2025 recruit away from another traditional Midwestern powerhouse when defensive back Ivan Taylor, previously committed to Notre Dame, announced Monday that he would join the Wolverines instead.
ESPN lists Taylor as the 41st-best recruit in his class and the fifth-best cornerback. He is No. 54 overall in 247Sports’ composite rankings, which have him as the sixth-best safety.
Taylor, the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor, is 6 feet, 175 pounds and plays for West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Fla. He moves to the top of the recruiting class for new Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, who took over after Jim Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Michigan, the defending national champion, now owns the 15th-best 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Taylor announced last winter that he had selected Notre Dame, reportedly doing so over Michigan, Southern California, Florida State, Wisconsin, Tennessee and other schools.
He subsequently took official visits to Alabama and Michigan in June and came away with Moore and his assistants, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and secondary coach LaMar Morgan.
“I like coach Wink, I like coach Morgan and I like coach Moore,” Taylor told The Michigan Insider. “I think they’re all great people and it was a really good time on the official visit getting to know them and getting to know their families as well. …
“Me and coach Morgan could have talked ball for days. We were in there just talking, learning the plays, what they do, what their system is, and where I’ll be in their system. They said (I’d play) the free safety position. A lot of colleges have been saying nickel, and I think they’re really the first ones to say free safety.”
