Michigan will welcome one of the Sunshine State’s top players next week.
Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School 2026 four-star safety/linebacker Simeon Caldwell has confirmed with The Michigan Insider that he will be in Ann Arbor on June 17th for camp, but also could visit.
Embedded above are the junior highlights for 2025 Top100 safety Kainoa Winston, who committed to Wink Martindale, LaMar Morgan and the Michigan staff this week. The four-star chose the Wolverines over Penn State, Oregon and North Carolina among a host of others.
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The Washington (DC) Gonzaga product is considered one of the most polished prospects in the entire class and gives Michigan a top target and cornerstone-level player for the future of their defense. 247Sports analyst Andrew Ivins broke Winston down in detail during his junior season:
A new-age defensive back prospect with the straight-line speed to help combat modern passing attacks. Owns some of the more impressive track times in the 2025 cycle having collected various medals at respected meets around the country. Size hasn’t been third-party verified, but is believed to be under 6-foot and full of muscle. Flies around the field and can get outside the numbers with ease. Quick to locate the football and is not afraid to jump a route. Has proven to be a rather spirited tackler in run support and seems to frequently be seeking out contact. Agile and fluid enough in the lower half to man-up with wide receivers and tight ends, but hasn’t been asked to press a ton on Friday nights. Based on what he has put on tape thus far, should be viewed as a potential defensive playmaker for a Power Five program that could play over the top, in the box, or even in the slot. Likely to add plenty of value on special teams units at the program of his choice.
Winston’s commitment came on the heels of his Michigan and Penn State official visits. The Nittany Lions were long viewed as the favorite in his recruitment as his cousin KJ is one of Penn State’s best players and is likely to be drafted highly after this season. The Wolverines did a great job on their official, however, securing a huge commitment.
“I liked how they view me as a versatile DB,” Winston said. “We went over on my unofficial how they see me similar to how Sainristil is as a player and how they moved him around, and it was the same conversations on my official around how I can play multiple positions in the backend.”
If his current ranking (43rd overall according to 247Sports) holds, Winston would be the highest ranked safety to sign with the Wolverines since Daxton Hill in the 2019 class.
College football’s coaching carousel moved at an exceedingly high rate this offseason with several blue-blood programs making big-time moves to fill key vacancies. Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame and others all tapped the coaching market for new talent, whether it was to lead the team in the head role or coordinate the talent on a specific side of the football.
Some hires were better than others and undoubtedly will be more impactful during the 2024 season. Picking out the 24 best coaching moves this summer is a subjective undertaking, with true returns not coming to fruition until a few months from now when the postseason and expanded College Football Playoff begins.
Coaches now navigate the transfer portal and NIL era with major changes to the recruiting landscape. Both factors have become paramount to success when staffs are forced to build for the current season exclusively whereas future rosters and multi-year depth has become increasingly less important.
