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2025 Spring Football Preview: Tight End

RETURNING PLAYERS: Max Bredeson (RS Sr.), Marlin Klein (RS Jr.), Jalen Hoffman (RS So.), Zack Marshall (RS So.), Deakon Tonielli (RS So.), Hogan Hansen (So.), Brady Prieskorn (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Eli Owens (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Colston Loveland (NFL draft)

OUTLOOK: Michigan had one of the best tight ends in college football in 2024 in the form of Colston Loveland, who should be a first round draft pick in April. Loveland was by far Michigan’s leading receiver (56 catches, 582 yards, 5 touchdowns) despite playing in a subpar passing game, and his numbers were significantly hurt by the fact that the quarterbacks couldn’t get him the ball when he was open downfield.

Marlin Klein caught the fifth most passes on the team in 2024 and filled in for Loveland. Klein isn’t nearly the fluid athlete that Loveland was and doesn’t have as natural of receiving abilities, but he’s a 6’6″, 247 lb. player with good straight-line speed and decent blocking ability. He caught 13 passes for 108 yards and 0 touchdowns a season ago.

The other huge returning contributor is 6’2″, 240 lb. Max Bredeson, who plays a fullback/H-back role. Bredeson caught just 3 passes for 24 yards, but he’s a devastating blocker who sets the physical tone on offense. New offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey may have to adjust some of his schemes to incorporate a heavy dose of Bredeson. I think Lindsey is pretty flexible as a coach, but he seems less inclined to use multiple tight ends as frequently as Jim Harbaugh-type offenses did.

Rising sophomore Hogan Hansen came out of nowhere to catch 7 passes for 78 yards and 1 touchdown in 2024 while playing in ten games. It’s not clear exactly what type of role he’ll play since his body (6’5″, 236) and skills haven’t really developed yet, but what is clear is that the coaching staff likes him and he will probably see a heavier role in 2025.

Walk-on Hoffman is Bredeson’s backup, and both Marshall and Tonielli are going into their third years without playing much. Prieskorn was hurt toward the end of the season, and my guess is he will not participate fully in spring ball. The lone freshman in the class is Eli Owens, who was listed at 6’1″ and 243 lbs. coming out of high school before enrolling early. He has mentioned how much he wants to fill the role of Bredeson down the road, so he may end up battling Hoffman for playing time this spring after enrolling early.

Overall, Michigan has a solid group of tight ends, but no real stars in the receiving game. Bredeson may prove to be the best of the bunch because of his blocking ability, but there’s still some intriguing potential with Klein’s athleticism, Hansen’s early flashes, etc. One to watch may be Tonielli, who got some buzz last spring but never got an opportunity on Saturdays. It should be a good overall unit, but the crew overall is a bit of an unknown.

Pernell McPhee, Wolverine

Former NFL linebacker Pernell McPhee has been elevated from a defensive analyst to outside linebackers coach for Michigan. He joined Michigan’s staff in 2024.

McPhee played under Wink Martindale when Martindale was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. The outside linebacker was a Raven from 2011-2014 and 2019-2021, with stints in between playing for Washington and Chicago.

McPhee graduated from Pahokee (FL) Pahokee, the home of former Michigan wide receiver Martavious Odoms and linebacker Brandin Hawthorne. He then attended Itawamba Community College and Mississippi State before getting drafted in the fifth round (#165 overall) in 2011. He made 260 tackles and 38 sacks during his eleven-year NFL career.

The coaching landscape has changed in college football. This off-season, the NCAA passed a rule allowing analysts and “off-the-field” staff to now become on-field coaches. Instead of being allowed eleven coaches – a number that was recently increased from ten – now programs can basically hire as many coaches as they can afford. Michigan recently lost defensive analyst LaTroy Lewis to the Toledo Rockets as he became their defensive line coach, so the promotion of McPhee seems connected to the loss of Lewis.

2025 Spring Football Preview: Running Back

RETURNING PLAYERS: Benjamin Hall (RS So.), Jordan Marshall (So.), Micah Ka’apana (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Justice Haynes (Jr.), Donovan Johnson (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Cole Cabana (transfer to Western Michigan), Tavierre Dunlap (transfer to Eastern Michigan), Donovan Edwards (NFL Draft), Kalel Mullings (NFL Draft)

OUTLOOK: The 2024 squad looked to have a pretty solid makeup with Donovan Edwards gracing the cover of NCAA ’25 and Kalel Mullings a promising mooseback. And while both had decent seasons – Mullings had 948 yards and 12 touchdowns while Edwards had 589 yards and 4 scores – it was a step down from the years of Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum leading the charge from 2021-2023. Part of that stemmed from the offensive line issues, and part of it was the running backs themselves.

The good news is that true freshman Jordan Marshall, a high-level recruit, was ready to step in and run for 100 yards against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl after Edwards and Mullings both opted out of playing in the bowl game. Marshall reminds a lot of people of Blake Corum, and he might even have better breakaway speed, at least if you put stock in high school track times. Marshall also showed some toughness in breaking a bunch of tackles, and his combination of skills helped him jump ahead of Benjamin Hall, who is one year older.

Speaking of Hall, the 235 lb. bowling ball managed just 72 rushing yards in his second year, including 16 carries for just 28 yards in the bowl game. He showed some good running skills in the spring game and against Indiana in 2023, but he has been pretty quiet on the field on Saturdays.

Redshirt freshman Micah Ka’apana was very slight as a freshman last season and needed to add weight in the off-season. He does not seem like a likely candidate to be one of the top couple backs in 2025, but he could work his way into being a complementary back or a pass receiving threat out of the backfield. One interesting thing to note about new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is that his starting running back in 2024, Omarion Hampton, caught 38 passes for 373 yards and 2 touchdowns. Michigan hasn’t had a running back catch that many passes since Chris Perry caught 44 balls in 2003.

Michigan also has reinforcements coming in the form of Justice Haynes, who played for Alabama the past two seasons. Haynes ran 79 times for 448 yards and 7 touchdowns last season as a backup for Jam Miller, and he was a 5-star recruit who boasts both power and speed. While Michigan has had complementary backs in recent years with the power of Haskins/Mullings, the speed of Donovan Edwards, and the power/elusiveness of Blake Corum, the duo of Marshall and Haynes – who I expect to be the top two backs – represents the first time where two similar backs will be able to spell each other. Both were listed in 2024 at 5’11” and 210 pounds, and they each have a good combination of balance, strength, and quickness.

The wild card this spring will be true freshman early enrollee Donovan Johnson, who missed his junior season with a torn ACL. Running backs coach Tony Alford reportedly checked in on Johnson personally to make sure Johnson was back up to speed, and Michigan pursued accordingly. He has not posted a highlight video on Hudl since his sophomore year, so nobody really knows how he looks except people who have been to his games in person. He’s supposedly up to around 215 pounds now, so the major question will be whether he has the speed/agility to be successful at this level.

Overall, it appears to be a Marshall vs. Haynes battle for the top job, but both players will probably see a lot of playing time in 2025. The primary battle this spring will be between Hall, Ka’apana, and Johnson for the third spot.

2025 Spring Football Preview: Quarterback

RETURNING PLAYERS: Davis Warren (RS Sr.), Jadyn Davis (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Mikey Keene (RS Sr.), Bryce Underwood (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Anthony Arnou (transfer portal), Jayden Denegal (transfer to San Diego State), Alex Orji (transfer to UNLV), Jack Tuttle (graduation/retirement)

OUTLOOK: Davis Warren started for the majority of the season in 2024, but to say it was a disappointing campaign would be an understatement. There were times when Warren was a turnover machine, and even though he cleaned things up a little bit down the stretch, there were some glaringly bad plays against Ohio State in the regular season finale. He completed 64.1% of his passes but for just 5.7 yards per attempt, 7 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on the season. Still, he was at the helm for the upset win over the Buckeyes and started the ReliaQuest Bowl win against Alabama. Unfortunately, his torn ACL suffered in the bowl game will keep him out of spring participation.

That leaves Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and true freshman early enrollee Bryce Underwood as the likely starters for each side in the spring game. Keene is a fifth year senior who has starting experience at UCF and Fresno State, including time spent at UCF under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. Altogether, Keene has completed 67.8% of his career passes for 8,245 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. Last year he was at 70.5% completions for 2,892 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He’s a functional game manager who can handle short to intermediate throws, but he has a relatively weak arm and isn’t much of a runner; he might be able to have a 2021 Cade McNamara-like performance if the offensive line and running game can hold up.

The phenom and wild card is Bryce Underwood. Underwood was an LSU commit for a long time before flipping to Michigan late in the early signing period. Much has been made of the NIL deal he received, but regardless, he’s ranked as the #1 overall player in the country for 2025. He completed 71.8% of his passes as a senior, throwing for 2,509 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions; he also ran for more than 600 yards and scored 6 rushing touchdowns. At somewhere in the neighborhood of 6’3″ and 215 pounds, he has the arm strength and speed to be a dynamic player. There are always growing pains for freshmen, so the biggest question mark is how quickly he downloads the playbook.

Just like in Any Given Sunday, Keene is the savvy veteran (Dennis Quaid) and Underwood is the ultra-talented young buck (Jamie Foxx). Michigan has two intriguing options going into spring ball, and it will be interesting to see who looks more ready to run the offense once April comes.

Way Too Early 2025 Depth Chart: February 2025

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

• QB Jayden Denegal (transfer portal)
• QB Alex Orji (transfer portal)
• QB Jack Tuttle (retirement/graduation)
• RB Cole Cabana (transfer portal)
• RB Tavierre Dunlap (transfer portal)
• RB Donovan Edwards (graduation)
• RB Kalel Mullings (graduation)
• WR C.J. Charleston (graduation)
• WR Tyler Morris (transfer portal)
• TE Colston Loveland (NFL draft)
• OT Tristan Bounds (transfer portal)
• OT Andrew Gentry (transfer portal)
• OT Myles Hinton (graduation)
• OT Jeffrey Persi (transfer portal)
• OG Dominick Giudice (transfer portal)
• OG Josh Priebe (graduation)
• C Raheem Anderson II (transfer portal)
• DE Breeon Ishmail (transfer portal)
• DE Josaiah Stewart (graduation)
• DT Mason Graham (NFL draft)
• DT Kenneth Grant (NFL draft)
• DT Owen Wafle (transfer portal)
• LB Micah Pollard (transfer portal)
• CB Aamir Hall (graduation)
• CB Will Johnson (NFL draft)
• CB Kody Jones (transfer portal)
• CB Myles Pollard (transfer portal)
• S Quinten Johnson (graduation)
• S Makari Paige (graduation)
• S Wesley Walker (graduation)
• K Adam Samaha (transfer portal)
• P Tommy Doman (transfer portal)

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.