2026 Season Countdown: #41-45
#41. Tommy Carr – QB – Saline (MI) Saline: Carr is a 6’4″, 185 lb. true freshman (LINK) who showed up in the winter after flipping from Miami-OH late in the recruiting process. He’s the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, the son of former Michigan quarterback Jason Carr, and the brother of Notre Dame starting quarterback C.J. Carr. Tommy was the talk of the spring game and performed better than Bryce Underwood, though spring games should be taken with a grain of salt. That he was committed to Miami-OH was a bit of a miracle because he was ranked as a 4-star, the #22 quarterback, and #318 overall in the recruiting class. I will admit that I probably have Carr (or Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi) ranked too highly, because this means I will have three quarterbacks ranked in the top 41 players, but Fowler-Nicolosi didn’t enroll for spring practice and I was a little nervous that he wouldn’t show up. (Michigan has seen similar departures from transfers like Taylor Tatum and Colin Hurley, who enrolled in the winter and then left the team.) My guess is that Carr will end up the #3 guy and try to develop for 2027, but he’s a good looking athlete who could have a bright future in a winged helmet.
#42. Carter Meadows – DE – Washington (DC) Gonzaga: Meadows is a 6’7″, 252 lb. true freshman who should make a pretty immediate impact at Michigan. He has added some decent weight since the time when he committed, when he was listed in the area of 220-225 pounds. His previous weight is virtually unplayable at his height, but now that he’s reportedly in the 250s, that’s a good sign. Michigan has a solid edge group with Dominic Nichols, Cam Brandt, John Henry Daley, and others, but Meadows probably has the highest upside of any edge rusher on the roster. He was a 5-star, the #4 edge player, and #9 overall in the 2026 recruiting class, and while there are things he needs to improve, there are going to be situations where defensive coordinator can send him to go after the quarterback . . . and at 6’7″, 252 lbs. with his speed, that’s enough to speed up a quarterback’s timing at the very least.
#43. Benny Patterson – DE – Newburgh (IN) Castle: Patterson has been flying under the radar a little bit over the past year or so, but the 6’2″, 270 lb. second-year player has been mentioned by several people as a rising contributor for the 2026 squad. After playing in five games in 2025, he now has a chance to work his way onto the field in some capacity. He’s not quite big enough to hold his own at defensive tackle and doesn’t have great pass rushing chops off the edge, but he has supposedly made some great strides in the weight room. We should start to see him emerge this fall, perhaps rotating with the likes of Cam Brandt.
#44. Deyvid Palepale – DT – Manheim (PA) Hempfield: Some people had high expectations for Palepale coming out of high school as a stalwart nose tackle, but things have started off slowly for him during his first two years on campus. After not seeing the field in 2024, he played in two games toward the end of the 2025 season. Michigan needs players to step up at tackle, and Palepale has been earning some buzz as one of those guys who should see the field in 2026. As a 6’2″, 335 lb. nose tackle, he has a chance to be stout in the middle. I don’t expect much of a pass rush from him, and we’ll see how well conditioned he is. But if the coaching staff can manage his snaps appropriately, he could be the primary backup for starting nose tackle Trey Pierce this season.
#45. Hudson Hollenbeck – P – Collierville (TN) Collierville: In one of the more intriguing position battles, returning starting punter Hollenbeck will be in a fight to maintain that job. Hollenbeck has the capability to boom some punts, but he’s one of the more inconsistent punters I’ve seen at Michigan. He averaged 43.2 yards per punt last season (40 punts for 1,729 yards) and had eleven punts go for 50+ yards, including a 67-yarder. He also shanked several opportunities. His 43.2 yard average is decent, and it would look even better if he didn’t doink one off the side of his foot every couple games. So Michigan brought in UNLV starting punter Cam Brown, and Brown probably has the inside track to start this fall. Hollenbeck could potentially handle kickoff duties, and he was also the Wolverines’ holder last season, so there are still opportunities for him to play. But his main role from 2025 is in jeopardy of being lost for the 6’2″, 206 lb. fifth year senior.
