Tag: 2025 season countdown

2025 Season Countdown: #106 Avery Gach

Name: Avery Gach
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 287 lbs.
High school: Franklin (MI) Groves
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #74
Last year: Gach was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 77

Gach committed to Michigan despite being a Michigan State legacy, and that not only takes some intelligence, but also some guts. I guess it should be pretty obvious that the Wolverines are the better choice given both options, but some people aren’t able to grasp it. Michigan pursued Gach because he’s tough and aggressive, envisioning a return to the physical offensive lines that led the way for Michigan’s rushing offense from 2021-2023, and Gach has the mindset to be able to play for a line like that.

Gach is rated in the 247 Composite as an interior offensive lineman (4-star, #15 IOL, #279 overall) but some sites rank him as a tackle. I think his feet are too slow laterally to make tackle an option, so he’s likely limited to guard or perhaps center. But he definitely has the tenacity to be a physical finisher on the interior as a run blocker. He did some good things in the spring game as an early enrollee, but he still needs to learn some technique, play lower, and add some weight to his 287 lb. frame. He is likely headed for a redshirt, but if one of the early season games turns into a blowout, I could see him getting a few snaps to prepare him for the future.

Prediction: Redshirt

2025 Season Countdown: #107 Julius Holly

Name: Julius Holly
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 224 lbs.
High school: Alpharetta (GA) Alpharetta
Position: Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #37
Last year: Holly was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 9 tackles and 1 tackle for loss while playing in just two games due to injury.
TTB Rating: 76

Holly has flown somewhat under the radar as a recruit even though he’s a 4-star (#36 edge, #403 overall) in the 247 Composite. He took official visits to Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M before committing to Michigan at the end of last July, so he was pursued by some heavy hitters. Various college coaches must have seen something in him.

Unfortunately, Holly’s senior season was cut short by injury, so he was only able to play in two games. MGoBlue lists him at 6’4″, 224 lbs. after he was listed at 6’3″, 230 lbs. during his recruitment, so he comes in a little bit taller and leaner than expected. The height is welcome, but the light weight is something that registers as a red flag for any chance of contributing as a freshman. At the Big Ten level, guys who are 224 pounds would get tossed around, so Holly is a virtual lock to redshirt this season.

Prediction: Redshirt

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

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

2025 Season Countdown: #110 Kaleb Schlecht

Name: Kaleb Schlecht
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 195 lbs.
High school: Ann Arbor (MI) Skyline
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #89
Last year: I did not rank Schlecht. He did not play in any games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Remember before the internet really existed and some guys just popped up on Michigan’s roster and you had no idea who they were and there was really no way to figure it out?

Well, Kaleb Schlecht is here to remind you.

Kaleb Schlect doesn’t have any Hudl highlights posted, except for a few basketball plays, mostly showing him being a lanky defender.

When I looked up Kaleb Schlecht on Twitter/X, he thankfully had a football highlight video linked, so I clicked on it. I thought maybe Google had just failed me.

The video showed a 6’0″ running back, which is not the same as a 6’4″ wide receiver.

So I double-checked the link, and Kaleb Schlect had simply re-posted his younger brother Ayden’s Hudl highlights.

That’s Kaleb Schlecht’s singular Twitter/X post since he signed up in January 2024.

So to sum up what I know about Kaleb Schlecht, here are Ayden’s Schlecht’s junior football highlights: