Michigan, Sherrone Moore land 4-star safety Kainoa Winston - ESPN

Sherrone Moore's inaugural recruiting class at Michigan gained its highest-ranked commit Friday when four-star safety Kainoa Winston, No. 42 in the 2025 ESPN 300, announced his pledge to the Wolverines.

Winston, who plays for Washington D.C. power Gonzaga College High School, took an official visit to Ann Arbor late last month and chose Michigan over Penn State, Oregon and North Carolina. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound defensive back is the No. 3 safety in the 2025 class.

For the Wolverines, Winston's commitment marks a recruiting win over conference rival Penn State, where Winston's cousin, safety Kevin Winston Jr., made 13 starts in the Nittany Lions' secondary last fall. Per ESPN rankings, Winston is Michigan's highest-ranked pledge since the Wolverines inked defensive end Derrick Moore (No. 19 in ESPN 300) in the 2022 class.

Winston joins defensive tackle Jaylen Williams (No. 24 DT) as Michigan's second commit of the week and marks the latest spur to the momentum of Moore's first recruiting in charge of the Wolverines.

With Winston, Michigan now has four ESPN 300 prospects committed in its 2025 class, including defensive tackle Nathaniel Marshall (No. 78 in ESPN 300) and quarterback Carter Smith, the No. 14 pocket passer in this cycle. Offensive tackle Avery Gach (No. 296 in ESPN 300) rounds out the group of top 300 recruits currently headed to Ann Arbor in 2025.

Winston is now the centerpiece of a Michigan recruiting class that is beginning to take shape as the 2025 cycle heats up. Other high-profile commitments could follow in the coming months with upcoming visits expected from safety Jordan Young (No. 33), offensive tackle Andrew Babalola (No. 44), outside linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (No. 73) and running back