LSU football five-star Derek Meadows visits Michigan Wolverines

Bishop Gorman five-star Las Vegas (Nev.) wide receiver Derek Meadows announced his commitment to the LSU Tigers in July after a visit to Baton Rouge.

Since then, he has remained a top candidate on the recruiting trail, with America’s top programs continuing to push for coveted services.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound player is considered the No. 1 prospect in Nevada and is a top-10 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

After Meadows made his decision public over the summer, he chose the Tigers over Michigan, Alabama and Notre Dame, among several others.

Now he continues to keep his options open.

The top wide receiver traveled to Ann Arbor on Saturday to check out the Michigan Wolverines ahead of their matchup with No. 1 Oregon.

There’s a connection here in Wolverine’s favor with the Meadows family, who were born and raised in Michigan.

“Home state for me and my wife,” Meadows’ father told On3 Sports in July. “We were always Michigan fans growing up. Growing up, you’re going to be a Michigan fan or a Michigan State fan. We were Michigan fans. Have a lot of close connections with people there. There are many members of my family there. Derek has a lot of family and friends. Excellent educational level, and being national champions doesn’t hurt. Great academic support.”

This is recruiting staff to monitor progress. Meadows did not visit Baton Rouge this fall, and with visiting Ann Arbor now in the rearview mirror, he is set to visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next weekend during the Nov. 8 weekend.

In the final stages of Meadows’ recruiting, it quickly became an LSU vs. Notre Dame battle, which Michigan’s name was also heavily involved in before his transfer to the Tigers.

Now, even though Meadows remains verbally supportive of Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers, both the Fighting Irish and Wolverines have raised the temperature for a potential coup.

The early signing period is approaching; encouraging programs to put the finishing touches on recruitment courses in 2025.

But the headlines over the last week or so have caught the attention of five-star defensive back and LSU commit Bryce Underwood.

Underwood, the No. 1 ranked carrier in America, has been linked to the Michigan Wolverines as of late as the program is reportedly offering a zero-equity package worth more than $5 million.

A Michigan native, the Wolverines have always been a threat, but Underwood has yet to take an official or unofficial visit to Ann Arbor.

It was clear from Underwood’s actions that the five-star signal-caller had ties to the Tigers, but that didn’t stop Michigan head coach Sherron Moore from reaching out to the quarterback to keep in touch.

On3 Sports Recruiting Expert Steve Wiltfong says:

“With head coach Sherron Moore and Michigan making a big move into the early signing period, they are currently ranked 12th in On3’s recruiting rankings. One prospect they continue to be in dialogue with is On3’s No. 1 prospect in Bryce Underwood. Committed to LSU is recruiting to oversee progress. I believe that dialogue with the Wolverines is real. We’ll see how things go there, if Michigan lands Underwood, I think it would be an eye opener. a few more people before the pen hits the paper.”

Moore and company are in contact with Underwood and his camp in the area, but LSU is aware of the conversation. It didn’t take the program by surprise, despite the national headlines that grabbed everyone’s attention.

LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan visited Underwood on Friday for the playoff game, and the five-star defensive end will take an official visit to Baton Rouge next weekend for the game against Alabama.

All signs point to Underwood committing to LSU during the early signing period, but Meadows’ recruit will certainly be one to keep an eye on moving forward.

Instant Take: No. 8 LSU falls to No. 14 Texas A&M in College Station

LSU offers offer to No. 1 quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a “Sleeper” Ahead of the 2024 Season

Follow Zach Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers on SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage related to the LSU program.