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2025 Season Countdown: #56-60

60. OT Connor Jones (RS Jr.): Jones is listed at 6’6″, 320 lbs. in his fourth year in the program. Whereas there was some buzz around him earlier in his career, he seems to have fallen behind several other players at this point. He’s not mentioned in the running to play much, but he is a backup option who could eat up some snaps during mop-up duty. He has played in just three games up to this point in his career. Last year’s rank:#66.

59. WR Andrew Marsh (Fr.): Marsh (4-star, #16 WR, #117 overall) is a wild card for the 2025 season. He could do anything from lead the team in receiving to redshirt without playing much. At 6’0″ and 175 lbs., he doesn’t have overwhelming size and he’s not necessarily a blazer, either. But the buzz has been strong about him looking like the best receiver on the field at various times. I tend to think it will be at least 2026 before we see him fully unleashed, but the potential is there for him to outplay the #59 ranking this season.

58. CB Caleb Anderson (6th): Anderson spent his first five seasons at Louisiana, where he was at one time coached by defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan. He made thirteen starts during his five years there, including four last year when he made 18 tackles. Injuries have been a bit of an issue, and that continued in the spring after he transferred in. I don’t know what to expect from Anderson, but there is a track record of defensive backs transferring in to Michigan and not playing much, including Wayne Lyons (Stanford) and Casey Hughes (Utah). And while there are success stories, too (Josh Wallace from UMass, Aamir Hall from Albany), I lean more toward the talented defensive backs beating out the experience of Anderson. But it’s nice to have a 6’3″, 200-pounder with five years of experience under his belt.

57. QB Jake Garcia (RS Sr.): Garcia committed to Michigan this spring after bouncing around from Miami to Missouri to East Carolina. A highly touted high school quarterback, he has not played up to his ranking (4-star, #8 QB, #48 overall in 2021) and has managed just 60.6% completions, 2,376 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions while playing in fifteen total games over four years. At 6’4″ and 203 lbs., he’s a good athlete with a decent arm. I don’t expect him to beat out Bryce Underwood or Mikey Keene (unless Keene’s spring injury lingers), but he is a step up athletically from Davis Warren. In other words, Michigan should be better at quarterback in 2025 than they were in 2024 even if they get down to their third QB.

56. RB John Volker (RS Sr.): Volker is a 6’0″, 210 lb. back who spent the past four seasons at Princeton. Probably best used as a short yardage back in his upcoming year at Michigan, he ran for 514 yards and 7 touchdowns on 89 carries last season. He does have 75- and 51-yard runs over the past couple seasons in the Ivy League, so there’s potential for some bigger plays, but that speed will likely be negated at the Big Ten level. I think the players vying for the third running back job are all fairly equal overall, but I see Volker as the best option ahead of C.J. Hester, Micah Ka’apana, Donovan Johnson, and Jasper Parker.

2025 Season Countdown: #61-65

65. RB Micah Ka’apana (RS Fr.): As expected for last season, Ka’apana took a redshirt after playing in just two games. He looked tiny – and still doesn’t look very big – but was able to catch a jet sweep pass for 4 yards against Northwestern. He looked decent in the spring on a few runs, but he just doesn’t have the strength at this point to power through tackles. He’s probably another year or two away from contributing in a big way, but his quickness and pass catching skills may prove to be valuable since the top couple backs are known more for being powerful and tough. Last year’s rank: #94.

64. DE Nate Marshall (Fr.): Marshall (4-star, #3 edge, and #43 overall) seems to be flying under the radar a little bit for being the #43 overall recruit in the 2025 class, but my hunch is that might change once the fall comes. Unlike a couple of the skinny edges Michigan landed in 2024 (Lugard Edokpayi, Devon Baxter), Marshall was listed at 6’4″ and 265 lbs. as a recruit and should come in more ready to play, somewhat like Derrick Moore in 2022. Moore was listed at 6’3″, 279 lbs. as a freshman and has slimmed down, but I think Marshall is more athletic. He probably won’t break into the top four of Moore, T.J. Guy, Cam Brandt, and Dominic Nichols, but he should get some playing time to whet our appetites for 2026 and beyond.

63. DE Tyler McLaurin (RS Sr.): Over McLaurin’s first three seasons at Michigan, he played in just five games. He was listed in his third year as a 227 lb. edge player, which wasn’t going to work. This spring he was listed at a reasonable 252 lbs., and while he’s not talented enough to see much playing time on defense, that at least makes him a somewhat viable option in a pinch. The 2024 season saw an uptick in playing time on special teams, where he played in all thirteen games. I expect that to continue in 2025. Last year’s rank: #67.

62. WR Channing Goodwin (RS Fr.): Listed at 6’1″ and 185 lbs., Goodwin returns in 2025 after playing in four games and preserving his redshirt in 2024. He played a little on special teams and a little at receiver. From what we saw in the spring game, I still think Goodwin is a possession receiver at best at this point. He does seem like someone the coaches trust to do the right thing, so I imagine he’ll be a guy who plays quite a bit in 2025 but without getting targeted much.

61. WR Joe Taylor (RS Sr.): Taylor is a former walk-on who was named Special Teams Player of the Year for Michigan in 2024. He does a little bit of everything and returned 4 kickoffs for 69 yards, caught 1 pass for 9 yards, made 4 tackles, and forced 1 fumble. I keep hoping Michigan will find someone else to put deep to return kickoffs because, while Taylor is supposedly one of the fastest players on the team, he just doesn’t have much wiggle or tackle breaking ability. Regardless of whether Michigan finds someone with a little more potential or not, Taylor will undoubtedly play quite a bit on specials.

2025 Season Countdown: #66-70

70. S Kainoa Winston (Fr.): Winston (4-star, #10 safety, #96 overall) has the disadvantage of not enrolling early, but he’s a speedy player who hits hard and was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2025. There has been a lot of talk about Arkansas transfer Tevis Metcalf, and perhaps for good reason, but I think Winston could emerge on special teams and perhaps at nickel toward the end of the season if the opportunity arises.

69. S Nico Andrighetto (RS Jr.): The 5’9″, 190 lb. walk-on played in four games last season and notched a half-sack against Northwestern. He will probably be a regular on special teams this season, though I don’t expect him to contribute much on defense unless it’s garbage time. Last year’s rank: #100.

68. LB Troy Bowles (RS So.): The son of NFL coach Todd Bowles, Troy spent the past two seasons at Georgia, where he played a total of seven games and made 5 total tackles. He played in just two contests last year, taking a redshirt before transferring to Ann Arbor for his third season. Michigan has some solid depth at inside linebacker, and I suppose that includes Bowles, whom Michigan recruited out of high school. With Jimmy Rolder, Cole Sullivan, and Jaydon Hood backing up Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham, I don’t think there will be many snaps left for the 6’0″, 220 lb. Bowles this season.

67b. K Stuart Blake (RS Fr.): Blake is a 6’1″, 179 lb. kicker from Jenkintown (PA) Jenkintown who was on the team but did not play in 2024. Michigan was somewhat active in the transfer portal this off-season after losing punter Tommy Doman to transfer, but they didn’t bring in much placekicking help other than a flyer on Beckham Sunderland (see below). Perhaps that shows some confidence in Blake’s abilities, but special teams are anyone’s guess.

67a. K Beckham Sunderland (RS So.): Sunderland is a former MLS – that’s soccer, folks – player who was a goalkeeper before embarking in a college kicking career at Texas State. Last season he was a backup kicker, but he sent 6 out of 8 kickoffs for touchbacks and also went 1/1 on extra points. His best chance to get on the field is probably as a kickoff specialist, but I have no idea how the competition for that job will shake out.

66. LS Dan Rosenberg (RS So): Rosenberg is a 6’0″, 245 lb. player who was a former starting long snapper at Holy Cross. He threw his name into the transfer portal this off-season, but as far as I know, he has yet to find a landing spot. He was on Michigan’s spring roster, and for now, I’ll assume that he stays in Ann Arbor. With Greg Tarr the almost certain starter this fall, the backup job comes down to Rosenberg – who has the most experience – and Evan Boutorwick and James Kavouklis.

2025 Season Countdown: #71-75

75. QB Jadyn Davis (RS Fr.): Davis was the #112 overall prospect in the class of 2024, but going into his second year at Michigan, he still has a lot of mechanical things to improve, particularly his long delivery. I would have ranked him higher in this year’s countdown if not for the late arrival of Jake Garcia, but I think Garcia’s college experience will push him ahead. My guess is that Davis will be #4 on the depth chart behind Bryce Underwood, Mikey Keene, and Garcia. Last year’s rank: #97.

74. TE Deakon Tonielli (RS So.): Well, I overshot Last year on Tonielli, ranking him #45 and thinking he would be essentially the #3 tight end behind Colston Loveland and Marlin Klein. Instead, Hogan Hansen took that role while Tonielli earned Scout Team Player of the Week honors twice. This year it seems like the tight end role will be diminished a little bit, and also there has been an emergence of Jalen Hoffman at the H-back position. I would also like to see Tonielli a little heavier on the fall roster, because he was 6’5″, 238 lbs. on the spring roster. Last year’s rank: #45.

73. CB Jeremiah Lowe (RS Fr.): Lowe didn’t play at all in 2024, taking a redshirt. This spring he was listed at 5’11” and 177 lbs. and was sort of an afterthought with the arrival of early enrollee Shamari Earls and a couple transfers in the defensive backfield. Lowe then made 2 interceptions in the spring game to put himself on the radar. I’m not ready to buy into him being a heavy contributor in Michigan’s defense, but there were plays to be made in the spring game and he made them. (He also had another nice pass breakup that was almost an interception.) Perhaps we’ll see him play a backup role in the hopes of becoming a bigger contributor in 2026. Last year’s rank: #107.

72. OT Ty Haywood (Fr.): Haywood is just a freshman, and it’s tough to get on the field as a freshman offensive lineman. However, he was #39 overall in the 247 Composite and flipped from Alabama. He’s a legit player but might need some time to develop after enrolling over the summer (unlike classmate Andrew Babalola who arrived in January). I don’t expect Haywood to compete for a starting job in 2025, but he could have an Andrew Sprague-like freshman year where he shows up late and then vies for a starting job in 2026.

71. RB C.J. Hester (RS Jr.): Hester is a transfer from UMass and led the Minutemen in rushing attempts in 2024, running 119 times for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns. At 5’11” and 195 pounds, he’s an adequate back but not particularly fast, elusive, or powerful. Michigan has a deep but largely unproven backfield this season, and Hester will probably be a relatively minor contributor behind Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes.

2025 Season Countdown: #76-80

80. DE Lugard Edokpayi (RS Fr.): The long, lanky Edokpayi was listed at 6’7″ and 232 lbs. on the spring roster, and looking at him on the field in the spring, that seems about right. There’s probably not going to be much opportunity for him to see the field in important moments until he adds some bulk, and he gets stalemated too easily by offensive tackles right now. We’re probably looking at another season of development for him. Last year’s rank: #93.

79. DT Deyvid Palepale (RS Fr.): We haven’t heard too much about Palepale since he arrived on campus, and that’s not too surprising. Listed at 6’2″, 335 lbs. this spring, he’s likely exclusively a nose tackle and Michigan has a few guys who can play the nose now that they brought in Tre Williams from Clemson and Damon Payne from Alabama. Palepale could be a plugger down the road, but 2025 probably won’t be a breakout for him. Last year’s rank: #62.

78. OT Ben Roebuck (RS Fr.): Roebuck is an interesting offensive line guy, someone who was gargantuan in high school and then leaned out, presumably in an attempt to rebuild his body. At 6’7″ he has a massive frame to work with, but there were times where I think he looked too heavy in high school. After dropping down into the high 200s, he’s now listed at 305 lbs. I don’t think Roebuck will break into the top eight or so linemen this fall, so he’s a deep bench option for now. Last year’s rank: #92.

77. TE Brady Prieskorn (RS Fr.): I thought Prieskorn would play quite a bit more last season, but he was behind fellow freshman Hogan Hansen and then suffered a leg injury during pre-game warmups. He ended up redshirting. Michigan lost starter Colston Loveland, but I think we’ll see a little less tight end usage under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsay. Hansen, Marlin Klein, Max Bredeson, and Jalen Hoffman all seem like viable options to get a good chunk of snaps, and it becomes questionable after that. Last year’s rank: #47b.

76. WR I’Marion Stewart (RS Fr.): Stewart is still listed at 5’11”, 180 lbs. on the spring roster. He won Offensive Scout Team Player of the Week for preparing the defense for USC, presumably for playing the role of Zachariah Branch (or maybe Makai Lemon). There’s a possibility that he could factor in on kickoff or punt returns, but as for playing the receiver position, it seems like he will need some more time to break into the rotation. Last year’s rank:#90.