Sherrone Moore might have been new to Ann Arbor. But he was not afraid to go to great lengths to land the No.1 QB recruit, Bryce Underwood. For that, the Wolverines had flipped their palms, letting go of a hefty $12 million fund in terms of the NIL check. Now, as Underwood steps into 2025, he is carrying the burden of that fat amount on his shoulders. Do you remember what Jake Trotter said about the quarterback?
“With all of that comes immense expectations. The Wolverines brought in veteran Mikey Keene from Fresno State to serve as a bridge quarterback. But ultimately, the onus is going to fall on Underwood to prove he’s worth the hype and money.” In this off-season, the quarterback was spotted flexing his pearly white-colored Lamborghini Urus worth $278k. This made the Michigan fans fear that Underwood may undergo the same fate as Shedeur with all this NIL flex. But no, while the quarterback preps himself up for a powerful 2025 season, he now moves with a ‘me to we’ mindset. And what better way to do that other than being the catalyst in the recruiting drive? But this initiative leaves Deion Sanders struggling to get a good night’s sleep.
Right now, 5-star prospect Felix Ojo has been stirring the pot. The 6-foot-7, 275-pounder from Lake Ridge High School already holds a buffet of offers including Colorado, Michigan, Texas, Ole Miss, among others. Oklahoma, too, was running the race, but Brent Venables’ squad will no longer host Ojo after a key announcement. As he shared on June 9, “Not needed. Nearing my decision a lot sooner than later.” That’s when Underwood jumped into the race. Putting the burden off Moore’s shoulders, the quarterback has now taken a mission to woo Ojo. As Hayes Fawcett reported on June 12, “Michigan QB & 2025 No. 1 Recruit Bryce Underwood is recruiting Five-Star OT Felix Ojo to Michigan .” Atleast Ojo and Underwood’s social media activities hint at it.
The IG post consists of a screenshot where the No.1 offensive tackle dropped a cryptic message tagging Underwood, “@19bryce._ _ Is this da move?” The plot thickened with Underwood dropping a comment under Ojo’s post, “yk what to do.” The hot recruit had taken his official visit to Ann Arbor in May, that’s where the duo had struck a bond. As Steve Wiltfong reported, “He spent time with Bryce Underwood, Michigan’s prized true freshman, the number one player in the country per On3 in the 2025 cycle…Bryce Underwood told him that the reasons he came to Michigan, outside of NIL obviously, were development and culture. And then the offense, it’s still very similar to the one they ran under Jim Harbaugh, a pro-style scheme that gets everybody ready to rip and roar for Sundays.” Already, the Wolverines have won Ojo’s heart.
Their biggest selling point is the fact that head coach Moore is an offensive line guy himself, and he’s helped send a lot of offensive linemen from Michigan to the NFL. Now, Underwood highlighted the NIL spectrum and things beyond it. Does that mean Deion is already getting nightmares that Ojo is slipping from his hands?
Felix Ojo boarding Deion Sanders’ wagon will be a risky move
Over the past few months, Ojo’s recruiting track has hit multiple turns. On April 5, On3 reported, “5-star OT Felix Ojo continues to feel like a top priority for Texas, he tells @SWiltfong_ .” The player went to Texas on April 3, post which he was wooed by the Longhorns. But it did not take Ojo long to turn his back on Austin. On April 12, he got wooed by the ‘family vibes’ in Columbus. “What excites me about the Buckeyes is the opportunity to play early and the family atmosphere of the program. I’ve seen the campus facilities and pretty much everything Columbus has to offer.” But even after that, he took a trip to Boulder in May.
Deion’s excitement was hitting the ceiling to get the opportunity to host Ojo. After all, the 5-star holds Colorado in high regard. “I feel like (Coach) Deion is changing the game over there at Colorado.” And no wonder, the visit went well. After the trip, Ojo fueled Deion’s aspiration as he tweeted a snap posing with Coach Prime. The caption read, “#LEGENDARY #GoBuffs @DeionSanders.”
If things look so positive about the Felix Ojo and Colorado Buffaloes collab, what makes Deion Sanders fear Bryce Underwood’s role? Well, the past here torments the Buffs’ head coach. We have seen how Colorado went to great lengths to woo 5-star Julian Lewis. However, as soon as their favorite JuJu landed in Boulder, he was downgraded from 5-star to 4-star. So, any day, Ojo will not want to sign up for the gamble and sacrifice his 5-star status by jumping into Boulder.
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