Carter Meadows, Wolverine

Washington (DC) Gonzaga defensive end Carter Meadows committed to Michigan on Sunday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and South Carolina, among others.

Meadows is listed at 6’6″ and 225 pounds. Playing in just six games as a junior in 2024, he made 33 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 83 grade, #10 DE, #88 overall
On3: 5-star, 98 grade, #2 edge, #6 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #19 edge, #241 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 94 grade, #5 edge, #34 overall

Hit the jump for more.

Meadows hails from the alma mater of 2025 Michigan signee Kainoa Winston, so there was some familiarity within the program. However, anytime Michigan goes up against other elite programs for a 5-star-level talent, it’s going to be difficult to gain traction. Usually the Wolverines do not come out on top in these types of recruitments, but defensive line coach Lou Esposito hung in there and the combination of elite academics with elite football development won out. (I always ignore NIL talk because nobody really knows what the deals are behind closed doors.) Ohio State, Penn State, and South Carolina all got official visits, but the official to Michigan on June 20th sealed the deal.

The intrigue of Meadows’s traits is obvious. He’s tall and athletic – he has at least one Division I basketball offer – and you can’t teach that combination of advantages. His wingspan makes it difficult for offensive linemen to get into his body, and when he decides to go, he can get the edge, track down quarterbacks, create turnovers, and chase guys to the sideline. One of the best things I see from him is that hustle to stop players from getting to the edge; he has the quickness to catch them from behind and is willing to lay out to make those diving tackles that are necessary near the sideline.

For better or worse, Meadows is an extremely raw prospect at this point. He plays very tentative, almost like he’s trying to protect his lower body, and I’m not sure if that’s just who he is or whether he has in the back of his mind that he wants to stay healthy for basketball season. He’s willing to attempt to lock out offensive tackles and has the arm length to do it, but it’s very robotic and not reactionary at all; it looks like he’s doing a drill in practice. He usually aligns as a 5-tech on the outside shoulder of an offensive tackle, but occasionally he’s called upon to spike inside to the B gap; when he does, once again he looks like he’s doing a drill and he doesn’t rip inside with gusto. There are times even where he has a chance to get dirty and jump in on a tackle, but he makes sure to keep his body clean and away from anybody rolling up on his legs.

Overall, I view Meadows as a boom-bust prospect. There are some very good raw traits to work with, but without an adjustment to his mentality, he’s going to have a very difficult time at the next level. Physically, he needs to get stronger so he can take on blocks and lock out tackles; mentally, he needs more reps so he can react quicker to what he’s seeing; and emotionally, he looks like he needs to spend some time training with the likes of Mason Graham, who might be able to teach him how to get a little bit dirty. Obviously, they play different positions and nobody goes from Meadows to Graham when it comes to that kind of attitude, but Meadows needs to find his inner ferocity. He could end up like Taco Charlton, who was a 1st round draft pick, or he could end up like Shelton Johnson, who . . . well, yeah.

“Who?” is what you’re probably asking yourself right now.

I think Esposito has done a good job of developing players wherever he’s been, so I’m going to count on him to chisel Meadows into a good NFL prospect. If he can add some weight, get some confidence, and get some experience under his belt to quicken his reaction time, Meadows could be a situational pass rusher early and then a dominant force by the time he’s an upperclassman.

Michigan now has 17 commitments in the class of 2026, where Meadows joins fellow edges Tariq Boney and McHale Blade. The Wolverines have never landed a player from Gonzaga before Evan Link in 2023, but they have had some contributors from the District of Columbia, including safety (turned NFL linebacker) Cato June from Anacostia and safety Quinten Johnson from St. John’s. If everyone sticks, there will be three Gonzaga products on the team in 2026, including Link, Winston, and Meadows.

TTB Rating: 86

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