Name: Zach Ludwig
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 217lbs.
High school: South Park (PA) South Park
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #43
Last year: I ranked Ludwig #128 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 55

Ludwig was recruited to Michigan at a time when Ben Herbert, Ludwig's uncle, was Michigan's strength and conditioning coach. Ludwig was listed at 202 pounds last season, a good indication that he would not be ready to play in year one. That held true as the season came and went without his seeing the field.

Now we come out of spring with Ludwig still on the roster, listed at a slightly more reasonable 217 pounds. By weight alone, that's still probably going to keep him off the field at linebacker. Special teams could be an option, but we're likely looking at another season of him watching from the sidelines.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

Name: James Kavouklis
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 284 lbs.
High school: Tampa (FL) Berkley Prep
Position: Center/Long snapper
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #64
Last year: I ranked Kavouklis #123 and said he would be a backup center (LINK). He did not see game action.
TTB Rating: N/A

Kavouklis joined Michigan's team in 2022 and promptly played in the blowout against UConn. That's a pretty swift start for a true freshman preferred walk-on.

He has since gone on to play zero games in 2023 and 2024.

Kavouklis doubles as a long snapper, but he has been hovering around 280 pounds, and it's tough to be a long snapper at such a weight. The punt snapper usually has to get downfield and help with punt coverage, and a 280-pounder is unlikely to have the speed or open-field athleticism to make that optimal for a coverage unit.

Michigan lost long snapper Will Wagner, but former starter Greg Tarr is still on the team. Michigan brought in Dan Rosenberg, a transfer from Holy Cross, but Rosenberg is also exploring other options. Whether Rosenberg is still here in the fall is difficult to say, so perhaps Kavouklis should be ranked higher, but this is the new age of college football.

Prediction: Backup long snapper

Name: Shomari Stone II
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Washington (DC) St. John's
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #41
Last year: I ranked Stone #122 and said he would be a backup defensive back (LINK). He did not play in any games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Stone is entering his fourth year of college and his third year on the team, as he was not a part of the program in the fall of 2023. Stone was a preferred walk-on in 2022 and happens to be the son of Washington, D.C.-area television news anchor Shomari Stone.

Unfortunately, Stone does not seem to have a clear path to playing time. He's undersized and is playing a position where Michigan has loaded up with depth pieces over the past couple off-seasons. It's going to be a struggle for him to get on the field yet again in 2025.

Prediction: Backup defensive back

Name: Bobby Kanka
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 299 lbs.
High school: Howell (MI) Howell
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #99
Last year: Kanka was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: 57

Kanka committed to Michigan all the way back on August 1, 2023, so at this point, it has been almost two years since he pledged to the Wolverines. He went through his junior and senior seasons committed to the program, though he did field other interest when there was some uncertainty surrounding Michigan's coaching situation. Overall, he stayed pretty rock solid as a local kid.

Kanka played some tight end on offense, but he was most known for being a defensive lineman. As a senior, he was listed at 6'4", 285 lbs. by Howell and is now listed at 289 pounds on Michigan's roster after enrolling this winter. Viewers of the spring game probably saw Kanka getting pushed around fairly easily a few times. Aside from that, I think Kanka's senior film showed a guy with a slow first step and a penchant for standing up too high at the snap. I think he'll need a lot of work and some reshaping of his body before he gets on the field at Michigan, and in some ways, I think he looks more like an offensive lineman. This is most likely a developmental year for Kanka behind a rather deep group of defensive tackles.

Prediction: Redshirt

Name: Drew Hickmott
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Ortonville (MI) Brandon
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #35
Last year: I did not rank Hickmott. He did not play in any games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Okay, well, in my "research" for this post, I went on Drew Hickmott's Twitter and found out he's looking to transfer. On April 24, 2025, he had posted his highlights/info as a transfer receiver. He did the same thing back in December and was still on the spring roster, so to be honest, I have no idea if he'll be with the program in the fall.

But. Here he is, anyway. Hickmott is a second-year player who did not play during his first year. He was a perfectly fine receiver at a small school and had over 1,600 receiving yards as a senior a couple years ago, but Big Ten football is a different deal. He's probably not going to play a role at Michigan if he stays, at least not in 2025. Still, kudos to the walk-ons who want to be a part of a great football program!

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

Name: John Weidenbach
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Naperville (IL) Benet Academy
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #59
Last year: I did not rank Weidenbach. He did not play in any games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Weidenbach was a preferred walk-on linebacker in the class of 2023 and is the grandson of former Michigan athletic director Jack Weidenbach. Jack, who passed away a little over a year ago, would be proud of his grandson, as John has pushed back against the NCAA's attempt to limit roster sizes (LINK).

The NCAA wants rosters to be limited to 105 athletes for FBS teams, and to be honest, John would probably be on the chopping block if Michigan had to nail down its 105 most talented players. So this would be an important topic for him, along with numerous other players around the country. John has been on the team for two seasons and has not seen the field, and just based on his high school film, I would not expect that to change much during his time in Ann Arbor.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

Name: Tomas O'Meara
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 183 lbs.
High school: Ann Arbor (MI) Gabriel Richard
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #36
Last year: I did not rank O'Meara. He was not on the team.
TTB Rating: N/A

The first entry for 2025 is student body walk-on Tomas O'Meara. O'Meara is a 5'10", 183-pounder who played at local school Gabriel Richard. He last played football during the fall of 2023 when he was a running back and safety, earning second team all-state honors.

Below are O'Meara's senior highlights, and he makes some nice runs and defensive plays against the so-so competition. With the depth at running back and the inexperience at the college level, O'Meara is unlikely to play a meaningful role for Michigan this fall.