Tag: Bryce Wilcox

2026 Season Countdown: #101-105

#101. Christian Pierce – LB – Chicago (IL) Brother Rice: Pierce is a 6’0″, 235 lb. linebacker and the younger brother of fourth-year defensive tackle Trey Pierce. Christian spent last season at Western Illinois and made 100 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 4 pass breakups, and 7 quarterback hurries, so he has a fair amount of playing time for a sophomore linebacker. I have not heard about him being talked up much from spring practices, and the jump from being a Western Illinois Leatherneck to playing in Michigan Stadium is fairly significant. Maybe some more experience at the FBS level will push him up the depth chart in the coming years, but for now, I’m thinking he will be a backup.

#102. Joshua Nichols – CB – Detroit (MI) Renaissance: Nichols is a 5’10”, 205 lb. fifth year senior who has played in just one game during his first four years on campus. After being listed as a safety earlier in his career, he is now listed as a cornerback. We have seen him play a little bit in spring games, and his foot speed is not where it needs to be to play cornerback, so we’re not looking at a walk-on like Keshaun Harris who could be in line for some legitimate playing time. Nichols will possibly be a special teams player or a deep bench player.

#103. James Kavouklis – C/LS – Tampa (FL) Berkeley Prep: Kavouklis is now listed at 6’1″, 295 lbs. and played in one game against Central Michigan in 2025. Long snappers don’t typically play offensive line because they have to get downfield on punt coverage, but Kavouklis is an exception. Michigan has some depth at center and Kavouklis will probably be the #3 long snapper, so he’s unlikely to play much in 2026.

#104. Zach Ludwig – LB – South Park (PA) South Park: Ludwig is a 6’2″, 225 lb. redshirt sophomore who played in one game last season, which was in the blowout of Central Michigan. The nephew of former Michigan strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert, it’s been a little surprising that Ludwig – who didn’t have much of a recruiting profile – has stuck around the past couple seasons. But he has added about 20 pounds in the past couple years and is approaching a playable linebacker weight. He will most likely be buried down the depth chart, but he enters year three actually looking like a linebacker.

#105. Bryce Wilcox – WR – Sharpsburg (GA) Trinity Christian: Gosh darn it, I have been in Wilcox’s fan club since he came out of high school, and now it’s year five for him and he hasn’t played much at all. He’s now listed at 5’11” and 191 lbs. and was named the Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year in 2025. Maybe playing receiver isn’t in the cards, but I’m hoping for Wilcox to have one of those walk-on moments in 2026 where he recovers a blocked punt for a touchdown or something like that.

2024 Season Countdown: #103 Bryce Wilcox

Name: Bryce Wilcox
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 188 lbs.
High school: Sharpsburg (GA) Trinity Christian
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #38
Last year: I ranked Wilcox #131 and said he would be a backup safety (LINK). He did not play.
TTB Rating: N/A

This is the year.

I’m going to stand on the table for my guy Bryce Wilcox. He turned down an offer from Navy to walk on at Michigan, and he has spent the past two seasons biding his time on the sideline. He came in scrawny at just over 170 pounds, but has since added about 17 pounds to his frame. Now he’s at a respectable 188 pounds for a guy who’s probably just a special teams player, at least for right now.

So going into 2024, I think Wilcox might finally be ready for some special teams action.

This is the year.

(Unless it’s not.)

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #131 Bryce Wilcox

Name: Bryce Wilcox
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Sharpsburg (GA) Trinity Christian
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #38
Last year: I ranked Wilcox #116 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Wilcox is a talented athlete who was listed at 171 pounds coming out of high school, so his chances of getting on the field last season were very slim. I believe he also had some injury issues last season that kept him sidelined, so he redshirted as expected.

So here we are in 2023, and I don’t expect much to change, even though Wilcox is up to 185 lbs. He could potentially be a special teams player, but Michigan has pretty solid depth at the safety position.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

2022 Season Countdown: #116 Bryce Wilcox

Name: Bryce Wilcox
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 171 lbs.
High school: Sharpsburg (GA) Trinity Christian
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Wilcox was a senior in high school.
TTB Rating: N/A

Wilcox is another high-level preferred walk-on who turned down an offer from Navy to pay his own way to Michigan. A pretty dynamic wide receiver and defensive back for his high school team, Wilcox could play safety or wide receiver at the next level. He’s as good as or better than the walk-on receivers who have played at Michigan in recent years. If you watch his highlights below, you’ll see some big hits, some nice blocks, and some tremendous balance and change of direction with the ball in his hands.

As a freshman preferred walk-on, he’s very unlikely to play in 2022, but he is a guy with the talent to get on the field in the coming years, particularly on special teams.

Prediction: Redshirt

Michigan’s 2022 Preferred Walk-ons

At any top-tier football program, walk-ons can seem meaningless. When teams recruit 5-star and 4-star players, what are the chances that some walk-on is going to do anything significant on the field? Except in almost any year, a walk-on plays a significant role, even if it’s “only” on special teams. This past season, safety Caden Kolesar (9 tackles), defensive tackle Jess Speight (7 tackles), tight end Carter Selzer, and long snapper William Wagner all played significant snaps for the Wolverines. There’s a good chance that at least one or two of these players will end up playing a lot of minutes in a Michigan uniform.

Nico Andrighetto – S – Mountain View (CA) St. Francis
Andrighetto is the 5’9″, 180 lb. brother of walk-on running back Lucas Andrighetto. He turned down offers from FCS Colgate and Columbia to walk on at Michigan. Nico had 75 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 1 touchdown as a senior in 2021. You can find his highlights HERE.

Chibi Anwunah – DE – Westland (MI) Lutheran
Anwuna is a 6’7″, 225 lb. Nigerian immigrant who played out of position – at least for college – as a linebacker in high school. He will almost certainly move down to the defensive line, probably defensive end, for Michigan. Anwunah has good size and decent athleticism, but he plays tentatively and needs to get a lot stronger. If he does he could be a diamond in the rough in a few years. You can find his highlights HERE.

Evan Boutorwick – LS – Sterling Heights (MI) Henry Ford II
Boutorwick has nice size at 6’4″ and 225 lbs. He was an Under Armour All-American and Korblue Kicking has him ranked as the #10 long snapper in the class of 2022.

Declan Byle – QB – Novi (MI) Catholic Central
Byle is a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect who looks like a walk-on quarterback. He does not have a particularly good arm or noteworthy athleticism. I do not see him factoring into Michigan’s depth chart in the future. You can find some of his highlights HERE.

Hit the jump for more.