Some commitments are about football, but some are about family. Carter Meadows didn’t just choose a school — he chose a home. A place where he felt loved, valued, believed in, and welcomed with open arms. And today, that home is Michigan.
Ann Arbor just got louder — and a whole lot scarier for opposing offenses. Five-star EDGE rusher Carter Meadows, the 6’6, 225-pound defensive phenom from Washington, D.C., has officially committed to the Michigan Wolverines. In one of the most highly anticipated recruiting decisions of the year, Meadows chose Michigan over powerhouse rivals Ohio State, Penn State, and South Carolina, delivering a massive recruiting victory for head coach Sherrone Moore and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
Meadows is regarded as one of the most explosive pass-rush prospects in America — long, violent off the edge, fast enough to chase down quarterbacks in open space, and powerful enough to collapse pockets with sheer strength. Scouts call him “a future NFL star,” a defender with rare instincts and even rarer motor.
But what truly won his heart was Michigan’s culture.
“They don’t treat you like a recruit — they treat you like family,” Meadows reportedly shared with people close to him.
Family. Brotherhood. Loyalty. That’s what pulled one of the nation’s best defenders to Ann Arbor.
This commitment also fires a warning shot across the Big Ten. Despite coaching changes and national pressure, Michigan is still Michigan — a program that reloads with elite talent and refuses to slow down.
With Meadows in the fold, Michigan’s 2026 class rockets toward top-five status nationally. Analysts expect him to compete for early playing time and eventually rise into a first-round draft-caliber EDGE, drawing comparisons to former Wolverine star Aidan Hutchinson.
For Ohio State, Penn State, and South Carolina, the loss stings. For Michigan?
It’s a celebration.
Because today, the Wolverines didn’t just gain a player.
They gained a brother. A leader. A future legend.
And the quarterbacks of the Big Ten?
They just gained a brand-new nightmare.
