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2025 Season Countdown: #108 Chase Taylor

Name: Chase Taylor
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 213 lbs.
High school: Stockbridge (GA) Stockbridge
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #29
Last year: Taylor was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 62 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 pass breakups, and 3 quarterback hurries.
TTB Rating: 58

Taylor was recruited to Michigan to play inside linebacker, and he committed when he was listed at 201 pounds. It takes a lot of projection to see a 201 lb. player and think he’ll be a Big Ten inside linebacker, where the normal playing weight is anywhere from 235-245 pounds. Sometimes long and lean players are 200 pounds and can project to tight end or outside linebacker because they’re 6’5″ or 6’6″ and have a lot of room for growth, but at 6’2″ there’s not quite as much real estate to add beef.

A true senior highlight reel could not be found for Taylor for the 2024 season, so there are a few highlights from a handful of games. Based on what I saw in those clips, I still think Taylor has a long way to go, even though MGoBlue now lists him at 213 pounds. Taylor seems a little bit slow to make plays, and he doesn’t always finish tackles the way I’d like to see for a future Big Ten inside linebacker. He can at times come downhill, lower his hips, and make a solid impact, but those plays just seem too few and far between. Based upon those senior clips, I lowered Taylor’s TTB Rating from 69 to 58, and I think he’s a pretty surefire redshirt in 2024 since he’s so light.

Prediction: Redshirt

Mason Bonner, Wolverine

Denver (CO) Mullen tight end Mason Bonner committed to Michigan on Thursday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Colorado, Florida, Miami, Penn State, and several others.

Bonner is listed at 6’6″ and 200 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 79 grade, #17 TE-H
On3: 3-star, 89 grade, #21 TE
Rivals: 3-star, 5.6 grade, #44 TE
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #34 TE

Hit the jump for more.

2025 Season Countdown: #109 Benny Patterson

Name: Benny Patterson
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 245 lbs.
High school: Newburgh (IN) Castle
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Patterson was a senior in high school. He made 70 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.
TTB Rating: 78

Patterson was a somewhat late flip in the class of 2025, picking the Wolverines on November 1, 2024, after being committed to Cincinnati. I never did a commitment post for him because I was busy at that time of year and didn’t circle back, so this is basically the first you’re hearing about him much on TTB.

MGoBlue’s commitment bio for Patterson lists him at 6’2″, 240 lbs. while 247 Sports lists him at 6’4″, 245. Maybe I should have gone with a listed 6’3″, 242.5 pounds up above, but the general idea seems to be that he’s in the 240s. Has he added weight since his senior football season ended? That’s likely. How much? Nobody knows.

In general on Patterson’s senior film, I see a quick and athletic defensive lineman who does not have a ton of technique or strength. His stance is inconsistent, he tends to stand straight up on his first step, and he sometimes shocks an offensive lineman with his hands, but he tends not to do much with his hands after that if the initial blow doesn’t work. The bright side is that it often works because he’s a Division I-level athlete, but the down side is that he’ll have a lot to learn at the college level because those guys will keep fighting – and they won’t have to fight very much because Patterson is only 242.5 pounds.

Most guys with Patterson’s skills and body type end up playing defensive tackle. Greg Mattison would take Patterson and turn him into a pretty solid 3-technique by 2027. Whether Patterson lasts that long on Michigan’s roster is a question mark, considering the transfer portal era. Regardless, he has potential if he sticks around, but he’s going to need a couple years to get up into that 290 pound range where he can be a viable option. If he can do that and maintain some of his quickness, he has a chance to be a very good player. But the most likely option for 2025 is for him to eat a high amount of calories and watch from the sideline on Saturday afternoons.

Prediction: Redshirt

Matt Ludwig, Wolverine

Billings (MT) West tight end Matt Ludwig committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, and lots of others.

Ludwig is listed at 6’4″ and anywhere from 230-240 pounds. As a junior in 2024, he caught 53 passes for 822 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also ran for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns as a short yardage wildcat QB.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 80 grade, #11 TE, #297 overall
On3: 4-star, 92 grade, #5 TE, #92 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #10 TE
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #12 TE, #237 overall

Hit the jump for more.

Way Too Early 2025 Depth Chart: May 2025

The following depth chart has removed these listed players from the roster:

• RB Benjamin Hall (transfer to North Carolina)
• WR Amorion Walker (transfer to Middle Tennessee)
• DE Kechaun Bennett (transfer to UCLA)
• DE Aymeric Koumba (transfer to UCF)
• DT Alessandro Lorenzetti (transfer to Baylor)
• LB Jason Hewlett (transfer to Boston College)
• CB Ja’Den McBurrows (transfer to Appalachian State)

It assumes that every currently rostered player and every currently committed prospect will be here in the fall of 2025, which is obviously not true.

Hit the jump for the depth chart.