Xavier Muhammad: The Making of a Future Wolverine

[What’s going on, Michigan fans? Welcome back to another episode of The Breakdown. Today I’ve got 2027 Michigan commit Xavier Muhammad, a.k.a. Ace. My man, what’s going on?

Just chilling, working hard, grinding.

Speaking of grinding, I’ve seen the videos that you’ve been posting and your mom has been posting, and man, you’ve been getting after it. It seems like hard work is nothing new to you. Grinding is nothing new to you.

Yes, sir.

I put together a video kind of breaking down your game a little bit. I did it about a month or so ago, and I think one of the most impressive things to me was not just your football highlights, but the fact that you are a three-sport athlete. In basketball, it seems like you’re just as good at basketball as you are at football.

In fact, when we put this out, I’m going to post this: you had a posterizing dunk on a kid. Honestly, I couldn’t believe what I saw because you brought the ball up the court. I didn’t think you were going to make it, I’m not going to lie. When I saw you elevate, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I thought it was going to be a finger roll at the end or something, but you punched it. I was like, “Holy—my man is for real.”

So I was like, “Okay, we’ve got ourselves an athlete.” Talk to me about being a three-sport athlete and how you’ve been able to use that to build yourself into a better athlete.

Yes, sir. It’s really good to do a lot of sports, and I’ve been doing it my whole life at a high level, too. Every sport translates to another. For example, basketball translates to football because of the footwork and coordination. Football translates to basketball because of the physicality.

The same thing with track, too, especially with me doing shot put—loading up and using all that power. It really translates to all the sports. I think it’s really good that I’m doing all three sports, and it’s very beneficial to me.

I did an interview with your mom and your dad, and they were talking about you doing shot put. You set a record your first time doing shot put or something like that. Talk to me about your shot-put career.

Yeah. My very first meet, I broke the record. I had no idea what I was doing. I literally got the ball and just threw it with no form, no nothing—just muscling it—and ended up breaking the record.

From there, that’s when everything really started taking off in track and shot put. I just kept breaking record after record, getting first place and beating every kid by like 10-plus feet, all the way to the Junior Olympics. Even in the Junior Olympics, I broke a new record, too.

So I’d say I’ve had a long journey with shot put, and I’m just happy I got to experience and do all that.

Have you stopped doing shot put, or are you still doing shot put in track?

Since I’m graduating early, I won’t be able to do track this year for shot put. But I did it last year, and I made Area last year. So, yeah.

So it wasn’t just something you stopped early in your career. You literally carried it all the way through high school.

Yes, sir.

Now let’s talk about basketball. When I sat down and talked with your mom, she told me she was pretty much convinced this was going to be a basketball thing until it became a football thing.

Talk to me about making that transition to where you said, “You know what? I think football is going to be what takes me to the next level.”

Yeah. I’ve been playing basketball my whole life, and I knew I had to take football more seriously ever since I got my first offer, which was Texas Tech. My second one was UTSA.

From there, that’s when I kind of knew football was starting to pick up for me. Then I went into my sophomore year, my first time being on varsity, and I got Newcomer of the Year. That’s when I knew I probably needed to start taking football seriously.

And that’s why you started grinding and working.

Now let’s talk about the recruiting process. Your sophomore year going into your junior year is kind of where your recruiting took off. What was the biggest jump from your sophomore year to your junior year? What was the transition for you? Was it mental, like, “Okay, I’ve got to lock in. This is serious. This is where my future is”?

What was that transition period for you?

Yeah, it was most definitely me being more locked in and really starting to shift from basketball to more football-type things, training and everything. And then just getting my body right, too.

Especially on the field—it’s a war, so you’ve got to fight for your team and for yourself. I’d say that’s a big difference. Overall, it’s some work, but it’s good, though.

Now, you’re a Texas dude. I’m sure every school in Texas was recruiting you and probably still is. Does it become more appealing to go out of state, or is it more about wanting to set your own legacy?

I’d say probably a little bit of both, but really legacy and opportunity at different schools. That’s the main thing.

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Interview Continued

Now, you have a really long relationship with Coach Larry Black, right? He’s been recruiting you for a long time, going back to when he was at Vanderbilt. You’ve built a great relationship with him.

Was Michigan recruiting you before that relationship, or did it really take off once Coach Black got there?

They were already recruiting me—sending me mail, texting me and everything. But as soon as Coach Black got there, that’s when it really took off more. They started reaching out more, and Coach Black himself started reaching out to me even more.

He was still reaching out to me a lot at Vanderbilt, but at Michigan it was just different.

Did him taking the job at Michigan make you feel more comfortable with Michigan, knowing he was there?

Yes, sir. Most definitely. Most definitely.

Who were your top five schools, and why did they make your top five?

My top five were Michigan, Miami, Houston, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame.

Most of it was really the connections. The coaches had consistently been reaching out to me and everything. The reason Houston made it, too, is because it’s my hometown.

Vanderbilt was high on my list, too, but as soon as Coach Black went to Michigan, that’s when it kind of shifted from Vanderbilt to Michigan.

Miami was the same thing—just the relationships, the coaches always checking up on me, the head coach and everything.

Miami had a very special recruiter recruiting you in Jason Taylor.

Yeah, Jason Taylor. It was very hard to turn down, especially him coming to me sometimes and pointing out different things, helping me out and giving me advice. I’d say that was a really big part of my recruitment, too.

What was your first recruiting visit like to Michigan?

I went to a spring practice and saw Coach Black actually coaching in person. I loved it. He’s detail-oriented and very direct. You can understand what he’s saying, and everything is easy to learn.

And just being around the players and hearing everything they were saying about the coaches—how they love Michigan, how happy they are to be there, and the growth they’ve seen throughout the year.

What was the message for you, particularly from this new coaching staff? This is their first year at the University of Michigan. How do they see you fitting into their defensive scheme?

They see me mainly as a three-technique, but they’re going to move me all throughout the line because I’m so versatile. I’m going to be going against tackles and guards, and even sometimes going against a center, just using my speed and quickness to get by and make plays.

One of the things I learned about you, Xavier, is really your motor. You are super aggressive. Throughout all your highlights, I’ve never seen you take a play off. You pretty much get after the quarterback.

What is the one thing in your game that you feel like you need to work on a little bit more in the offseason to help you take your game to the next level?

This offseason, I’ve been focused mainly on using my hands, being more violent with my hands and getting more extension at the point of attack.

Those were the main things I kind of struggled with last year and the year before that, my first year. But I think this year is going to be a big difference since I fully know what I’m doing now and with all the training I’ve been doing.

I think all my hard work is going to pay off.

Outside of football, what was the other thing that stood out about Michigan and ultimately led to your commitment?

And how did that impact your family? Again, you’re going out of state and going to Michigan. I’m sure Mom and Dad will probably be coming up to every other game, so it’s not like they’re going to be that far away.

Talk to me about making that commitment to Michigan and what led to that commitment.

Yeah, it was a big decision. I prayed about it and talked about it with my family. The main thing was that we broke everything down—the opportunity, how everybody in our family was going to react to it and whether it was the best thing for me.

We believe it’s the best thing for me, and I do, too. Also, just the education and the alumni—everything.

I’ll be set for the rest of my life. And then just playing in the Big House in front of 100,000 people—how much better can it get from there?

Hey, I can agree with that, man.

NIL has become a really big thing, Xavier. Unfortunately, I missed out on that opportunity, but fortunately, you get to take advantage of it.

How important was NIL in your decision? Or was it kind of like, “Yeah, NIL is great and that’s going to carry me through,” but it’s really about that 40-year decision after that?

How important was the NIL process, and how did you navigate it?

I really let my financial advisor and my parents go through that route and everything. My main thing is whether the education is good, the coaching is good, and just life on campus. That’s how I viewed it.

Now, because of NIL, by the time you leave college, you’ll have a nice little nest egg for yourself. I have no doubt that with the support system you have with your parents, you’re going to make all the right decisions financially when it comes to that.

Let’s talk about life after football. What do you want to study at Michigan? What do you want to do? God willing, you play 10 or 15 years in the NFL. What do you want to do after football is done?

I’ll be going there for business. That’ll be my main major. After football, I’d say I want to start my own business and find different ways to give back to the community.

For me, one of my main struggles was finding shoes in my size. I think if I can do something to help people like me, that would be very beneficial. I’d like that, too, so people don’t have to struggle the way I did.

Talking about size, what’s your current height and weight right now?

I’m 6-foot-4, 280 pounds. That’s my current height and weight.

How much weight have you put on during the offseason? Because I could have sworn when I looked at your profile it said around 265. You’ve made some considerable gains in the last year or so.

Yes, sir. I gained a lot of muscle. I probably gained about 30 pounds within the last five months.

I’ve just been eating the right stuff, working out and building muscle. My main thing is getting stronger in the weight room—really getting stronger in general—and getting faster.

I’d say it was a huge commitment, especially going from 240 during the season all the way to 280. But it’s very beneficial.

And how much did you weigh when you dunked on that kid in the video?

I was like 260—about 260, 265.

You know, Michigan recruits Texas really well. Blake Jenkins is obviously going to be one of your classmates. I’m not sure who else from Texas is coming. I think you guys have an offensive lineman; I’m not too sure.

But you guys have pulled in probably one of the better defensive line groups. Consistently, Michigan is always pulling in really good defensive line groups.

Do you guys have your own little group chat going? Have you talked about what kind of impact you want to make at Michigan?

Yes. We have our own group chat. Even before the official visit, we all set the same official-visit date. When we were there, it was just bonding together and getting to know each other more.

Our main thing with Michigan is just making a big impact—being out there, having fun together, growing together as a team, and putting on for Michigan.

All right, Xavier, we’ve got the OLIPOP Quick Questions. You ready?

Yes, sir.

Favorite food?

[Unclear in original transcript.]

Favorite NFL player?

Will Anderson.

What’s your favorite pass-rush move?

Long arm.

What would you rather have: a sack against Ohio State—a sack-fumble returned for a touchdown in a big game—or a posterizing dunk on LeBron James?

Most definitely a posterizing dunk on LeBron because you can frame that, and he barely gets dunked on. So I’m most definitely going LeBron.

Xavier, man, I appreciate you coming on the podcast. I’m excited to have you in the brotherhood. I can’t wait to watch you play. Hopefully, I get to see you up there at a game at some point.

Looking forward to following your career, brother.

Yes, sir. Thank you for having me on here.

I appreciate it. All right, X, man. You have a good one.

Yes, sir. You, too.

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