What Julius Holly’s commitment means for Michigan football

Michigan’s football program beefed up its defensive front in its 2025 class on Saturday, receiving a commitment from Alpharetta (Ga.) four-star edge Julius Holly.

Here’s what his verbal pledge means for the Wolverines:

– Holly is the latest in a flurry of commitments for Michigan. It has landed nine verbal pledges in June, making it one of its most successful months in the past decade. After dropping out of the top 15 of the national rankings for a few days, landing Holly put the Wolverines back at No. 15.

– The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder is ranked as the No. 301 overall prospect and No. 22 edge nationally. There is some variance between the four major recruiting sites. On3 is the highest on him, ranking him No. 236 overall as a mid-four star. Rivals and ESPN both have him rated as a low-four star, while 247Sports has him as a three star.

– While Holly is listed as the only edge in Michigan’s 2025 class, two other defensive line pledges – Jaylen Williams and Nate Marshall – have the versatility to play there. They are both bigger prospects than Holly listed at 265 pounds each and would likely play opposite of Holly if they were on the field at the same time. On his junior year highlight tape, Holly never lined up with his hand in the dirt but showed an explosive first step rushing the passer and tracking down running backs or scrambling quarterbacks.

– New defensive line coach Lou Esposito keeps humming along on the recruiting trail. He is the newest assistant on Sherrone Moore’s staff but has had a hand in landing the Marshall-Williams-Holly trio despite being on staff for just three months. The former defensive coordinator at Western Michigan doesn’t have any power conference coaching experience but clearly has been able to relate to prospects on the recruiting trail.

“Coach Lou Esposito is a great coach,” Holly told On3. “He is a great guy who can further my game as a weakside end in their defense.”

– Holly is a late riser, seeing his recruitment soar after his junior year, when he recorded 57 tackles and eight sacks, according to his recruiting profile. He has over 30 reported offers – many schools in the south, including fellow finalists Georgia, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. Holly took official visits to all four schools this month, including Michigan on June 7, and the Wolverines showed enough to earn his commitment over some top SEC schools.

– Michigan hasn’t shied away from recruiting in the south since Moore has taken over. The Wolverines have always had a presence there, but having eight of 13 commits in the 2025 class playing high school football in the south is eye-opening. Right now, they have three from Florida, including four-star quarterback Carter Smith, two from Georgia, two from Louisiana and one from Tennessee. That also doesn’t include their only pledge in the 2026 class – Cocoa (Fla.) four-star quarterback Brady Hart – a top-100 recruit. Having assistants with strong southern ties, like Ron Bellamy, Brian Jean-Mary and Tony Alford, helps, but Michigan still has to close with prospects in that region, and that hasn’t always been the case.