Sherrone Moore’s QB room is heating up—and that’s a good problem to have. Well, freshmen Jadyn Davis and Bryce Underwood flashed real talent in Michigan’s spring game on April 19. However, Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene is still in the mix, but eyes are locked on the young guns. Yes, Underwood found instant chemistry with wideout Channing Goodwin, son of Wolverines legend Jonathan Goodwin. So, this freshman-to-freshman connection lit up the field, turning heads fast. Simply put, with rising stars and solid transfers, Moore’s recruiting touch is clearly paying off.

However, Sherrone Moore’s debut season didn’t follow the script. Michigan’s offense sputtered, and bowl eligibility came painfully late in Week 11. But just when the critics got loud, the Wolverines howled back. And they stunned No. 2 OSU and took down No. 11 Bama to close the year. Add in a top-10 recruiting class led by No. 1 Bryce Underwood, hope is alive in Ann Arbor. Although Moore’s got doubters, that late-season surge and recruiting haul have Michigan fans buzzing about a big bounce-back in 2025.

Now, Sherrone Moore just took a tough blow on the trail. Michigan looked like the favorite for Javian Osborne, a blue-chip RB out of Texas, but things flipped fast. On May 4, Mike Roach confirmed Notre Dame sealed the deal. However, the game-changer? The Irish hiring Ja’Juan Seider. Simply, he made Osborne a top priority and got him on campus in March. That visit flipped the script, and the Irish never looked back. Honestly, it’s a headline win for Freeman—and a rare recruiting miss for Moore.

However, Javian Osborne didn’t hold back when talking about Ja’Juan Seider. The bond was real—and it mattered. “That guy is one of a kind,” Osborne said of Seider. Adding, “He knows how to turn it on and off, and knows when it’s time to get strictly to business … he’s a guy I wanna be around the next three or four years in my college career and get developed by him.” So, Seider’s impact was clear, and it played a huge role in sealing the deal for the Irish.

It wasn’t just the hiring of Ja’Juan Seider—Javian Osborne’s heart was won the moment he stepped on campus. “I took that first trip and it ain’t never been the same. It opened my eyes even more for Notre Dame,” he told Rivals. However, the visit wasn’t just about football—it was about the full experience. And following that, Osborne said, “When you think about Notre Dame, you think about the football aspect, but they possess so much opportunities on and off the field.”

Moreover, Osborne soaked in the locker room vibe and left impressed. “To experience the locker room with the guys, getting their perspective was even better. They’re great, great, and even better football players,” said the standout RB. So, that trip sealed it. And Sherrone Moore didn’t just lose a recruit—he lost a game-changer. Because Osborne is a stat machine with sky-high potential.

Heading into his senior year, he’s already racked up 4,442 rushing yards and 74 TDs. Moreover, his sophomore season alone? A jaw-dropping 2,231 yards and 41 scores at 7.7 yards a carry. That kind of production doesn’t come around often. So, missing out on Osborne is a major blow to Michigan’s 2026 backfield plans.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame is building a Texas pipeline—and it’s paying off big. Look, landing Javian Osborne continues the Irish trend of snagging elite backs from the Lone Star State. They grabbed Jadarian Price in 2022, and now he’s part of one of the top backfield duos in CFB. Then came Kedren Young in 2024, a future star once Price and Jeremiyah Love head to the NFL. Now, with Osborne locked in, the Irish are stacking up talent for years to come. Be real, Texas to South Bend? It’s becoming a tradition.

But while Bryce Underwood’s presence helped Sherrone Moore impress—and even land—top talent, it raises the question: Why not this Texas RB? Javian Osborne seemed within reach, but something in Michigan’s approach missed the mark. In today’s era of aggressive recruiting, even the smallest misstep can cost you a game-changer. Whether it was timing, relationships, or strategic decisions, this one slipped through the cracks. And it’s hard for a program aiming to stay elite.

Sherrone Moore’s understated decision

While programs nationwide hit the road to lock in top talent, Michigan is noticeably on pause. The Wolverines have taken a step back, reportedly enforcing a quiet, self-imposed ban on in-person recruiting visits. Though not officially confirmed, it’s widely seen as fallout from the NCAA’s ongoing investigation into Sign-Gate and past recruiting violations.

We all know Michigan has used self-imposed penalties before, and this move feels like another attempt to get ahead of potential sanctions. To be honest, just days ago, Steve Clinkscale and Jesse Minter received show-cause penalties. And EJ Holland of The Wolverine pointed out, this could be Michigan’s way of cleaning house—before the NCAA forces their hand.

“Michigan coaches who would normally be on the road recruiting have not been seen visiting recruits during an important window, several sources tell The Wolverine. It is unclear if the program has self-imposed travel restrictions during the spring contact period, if this is an agreement or a mandate by the NCAA, or something else, but some recruits have indicated they’ve been told not to expect staff to visit them until the week of May 19,” said Holland.

Whether it’s NCAA-mandated or self-imposed, one thing’s clear—Michigan’s recruiting silence isn’t by mistake. The Wolverines are expected to stay off the trail for most of May, right in the heart of the spring evaluation period. While they could still hit the road late in the month, the window is shrinking. And unlike the show-cause tags for Minter and Clinkscale, this move could actually sting on the recruiting front.