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UM Former Five-star Prospects Armondo Blount, Justin Scott Expected To Take On Bigger Roles

CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes lost several key players from their defensive line after the 2024 season, and they are looking for a pair of touted prospects to fill the gaps.

Armondo Blount and Justin Scott, who were both five-star prospects in the 2024 class, are looking like they could be key contributors to this year's defense.

"I think they're finally getting comfortable with the game," veteran defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor said. "Especially college football, it's so much faster than high school football. I've seen big improvements from all of them. Can't wait to see them work."

Although both rising sophomore linemen were touted recruits, they had different types of freshman seasons. Scott was in regular rotation at defensive tackle, playing in 11 of UM's 13 games and getting 10 snaps or more in seven of them. Blount, a defensive end, played sporadically, getting 52 snaps over seven games played, getting 10 or more snaps in two of them.

Scott had seven tackles and a sack. Blount recorded two tackles.

"My first season, I really just mainly just watched the older guys that we had in front of me, learning the game and expanding my knowledge with football overall," Blount said.

It was not surprising that Blount, who is listed at 6 feet 4 and 260 pounds, needed a year to develop. He reclassified while in high school, moving from the 2025 class to the 2024 class. He was younger than the rest of his classmates and just turned 18 on Feb. 18.

"I really didn't look at it like that," "I just looked at it like I was one of the guys. The guys would tell me here and there, "You're young," this and that. … I was just, 'I'm one of y'all.'"

This spring, Blount said he is working on increasing his football IQ and learning the entire defense, not just his own tasks in the playbook.

"it helps me because it can expand my knowledge on why I've got to do certain things," Blount said. "If I know what the back end's doing, I know how I can do a rush or how I've got to play this."

Even with his young age, Blount is making an impression on his teammates.

"Armondo's just a different animal," Mesidor said. "I don't got to speak too much about it. You'll see him on the field. He's different."

Scott, an interior lineman who is listed at 6-4 and 310 pounds, said he expected to play a decent amount as a freshman and learned how to improve his technique. He said he learned from Ahmad Moten, C.J. Clark and Simeon Barrow Jr. Last season.

"My mindset was just … work," Scott said. "Just showing I know the playbook and everything. That just helped me get on the field."

Rueben Bain, now an experienced upperclassman with two years of experience under his belt, has been impressed with Blount and Scott, as well.

"Some real savvy guys that are eager to learn," Bain said. "They're in the film room as much as me. They're in the weight room as much as me. They're doing extra work as much as me. They're taking it real serious. They see that theyve got an actual shot to have some playing time this year, and they've got the right head on to come in and make an impact.

"They don't want to be guys that are just rotation guys. They want to take my spot, and that's what I like."

Michigan Football: Sherrone Moore Explains How Wolverines Flipped Bryce Underwood From LSU

It's well noted that current Michigan QB Bryce Underwood grew up a Michigan fan and actually wanted to attend the University of Michigan. But the No. 1 overall prospect in the country didn't take straight path from Belleville to Ann Arbor. In fact, it seemed as though the possibility of Underwood becoming a Wolverine came to an end when he committed to LSU just days before Michigan won the national championship over Washington on January 8, 2024.

But after nearly a year of being committed to LSU, Underwood had a change of heart and flipped his commitment to the University of Michigan on November 21, 2024. It was a stunning flip for the Wolverines, hauling in the highest-rated quarterback in program history.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So, how did it all happen? Obviously NIL played a massive role, but Sherrone Moore also indicated that he made it a priority to rebuild the relationship with Underwood shortly after taking over as head coach.

"We rebuilt the relationship," Moore said. "We already had one, but we rebuilt it when I became the head coach. And it was a long process. We've been recruiting him since he's been committed to LSU, and as we know in recruiting that always happens, you know? If you're not talking to your player, somebody else is."

Underwood also expressed concerns about Michigan's lack of development at the quarterback position, something he indicated during an interview prior to flipping. There's little doubt that those concerns were addressed by Moore as he continued to recruit Underwood, potentially playing a role in Moore bringing in offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey from North Carolina.

It's clear that the effort to keep Underwood home required a multi-layered approach from Moore and his staff, and they were able to pull it off. From a full embrace of Michigan's NIL power, to making sure the right pieces were in place on both the staff and the roster, the Wolverines were able to haul in a guy who's already being projected as a future first-round draft selection.

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Five-star 2026 QB Locks In Visit With Michigan Football

The Michigan football team landed the top quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class as Bryce Underwood will be with the Wolverines next year. Now, the Wolverines have a chance to land another five-star QB in the 2026 class. Ryder Lyons is one of the top QB prospects in the class, and he will be taking a visit to Ann Arbor in April.

"SCOOP: Elite 5 ⭐️ QB Ryder Lyons locked in his first trip to Michigan! They will be in Ann Arbor in April for a multi-day spring trip, his mother Kamee told @TheWolverineOn3," Ethan McDowell said in a post. "Lyons is the No. 11 recruit in the nation."

Ryder Lyons is a five-star recruit according to 247Sports. He is the #14 player in the nation, the #4 QB and the #3 player in the state of California. Lyons currently attends Folsom High School in Folsom, California.

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"Lyons is on the short list when talking about the top overall signal caller in the '26 class," Lyons' scouting report reads. "He's coming off a huge sophomore season where he showed off his rare ability as a thrower and runner and accounted for 61 all-purpose touchdowns. At the SoCal Elite 11 Camp (3/17/24), he showed off one of the quickest releases in the camp, the ability to make throws from in and out of the pocket and was accurate to all three levels of the field. His 36″ vertical jump was 2nd highest in the camp and he combines rare physical tools with an advanced feel for the position as well."

Landing Bryce Underwood was a big reason why the Michigan football team finished with one of the best 2025 recruiting classes. The Wolverines are hoping to keep that momentum going into the 2026 class, and getting Ryder Lyons to commit would be huge. Lyons is one of the best recruits in the class, so Michigan will fact a lot of competition here.

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