Christian Ingram could fill an area of ​​need in Michigan’s 2025 class

On By Yukito

Allen Trieu
| Special to The Detroit News

Michigan has Newton’s top-five defensive lineman from Covington (Ga.) Christian Ingram, who is scheduled to make an official visit to Ann Arbor the weekend of Nov. 1.

Defensive line is a need in the Wolverines’ 2025 class. Georgia is a state that has made multiple hires from Michigan this cycle, and Ingram has quickly become one of the more sought-after seniors in the state.

“Christian was late to the game,” Newton head coach Josh Skelton said. “He’s a forward and center at Newton, where we have a very strong basketball program, so he’s always played basketball. This was his ambition.

“He didn’t shy away from football; basketball is simply in his blood. Dad is over 2 meters tall and his older brother is 6-10 years old. He’s kind of a midget on the team, so he came to play soccer last year. It was the end of August, so we didn’t have time to develop it. He was still green to football, still trying to understand the game.

After his junior season, the 6-foot-6 Ingram played his first real offseason of football. He worked on his technique, went to the gym and paid attention to his nutrition, adding over 40 pounds to get to 290 pounds. Skelton said those pounds were muscle and were added on purpose.

While this was important for Ingram’s development, he also showed the school his commitment to football. College coaches noticed his effort on the field. He chases and runs, playing with persistence. He regularly stays after training and pays attention to details.

That translates into how he handles recruiting, where he has to stay up to date on schools as many new, high-profile offers have emerged this fall.

“I think Christian did a good job of keeping the most important things, the development and the goal of winning a championship,” Skelton said. “When it comes to recruiting, every time Christian receives an offer, he visits the school either informally or officially. He and his family did a good job visiting campuses and the school. If there is no plan for the next weekend, they come to visit, stay in touch with the coaches, ask questions, find out what he wants from the school, so that sooner or later he will be ready to make a decision, whether public or internal. He learns what he likes and what he doesn’t like.

The rest of Ingram’s top five is made up of Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. He will make official visits to all of these programs before making a decision.

Michigan is the only school not in the SEC, but that doesn’t mean Ingram isn’t open to a trip north.

“I think it’s a huge opportunity given the history that Michigan has in terms of producing players, his relationship with the defensive line coach (Lou Esposito) who has been here and asked about him and built a relationship with him,” Skelton said. “Location, proximity or distance does not matter to him or his family. It doesn’t matter at all. Relationships are going to be more important, and Michigan State did a great job there.”

247Sports Ingram is a three-star prospect and the No. 81 senior in the state of Georgia.

The guest list for competitive games is growing

Michigan will have a very strong roster this weekend as they play against Michigan State under the lights.

Syracuse player Quante Gillians and former Florida player Joseph Mbatchou are two key senior targets on the defensive line.

Many of the top juniors will also be participating, including the No. 1 running back in the class Savion Hiter and four-star receiver Mason James from Oklahoma. We will be visited by recently offered offensive lineman Jarvis Strickland, as well as Lincoln-Way East defensive lineman from Frankfort (Illinois), Jacob Alexander, whose Michigan is high on the list.

Detroit Country Day four-star Anthony Cartwright is one of the biggest prospects in the 2027 class.

More information

Christian Ingram profile

Quante Gillians profile

Savion Hiter profile

Allen Trieu recruits Midwestern football players for 247Sports. He appeared on the Big Ten Network on the annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan State and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly on detroitnews.com.