Tag: Cole Sullivan

2025 Season Countdown: #34 Cole Sullivan

Name: Cole Sullivan
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Pittsburgh (PA) Central Catholic
Position: Linebacker
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #23
Last year: I ranked Sullivan #85 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in twelve games on special teams and one on defense, making 4 tackles.
TTB Rating: 87

I thought the 6’3″, 215 lb. freshman linebacker would redshirt in 2024, but I was mistaken. He was named Special Teams Rookie of the Year at the end-of-year awards banquet and played in every game but one. That’s a good way to get one’s feet wet, but it also burned a potential extra year of eligibility for special teams use. Anyway, Sullivan performed his duties well while most freshman linebackers redshirt.

This season Sullivan is a bit of a wild card. While he’s unlikely to break into the starting lineup (barring injury to one of the starters), he’s probably in the second group and pushing Jimmy Rolder to be the next inside linebacker into the game. Sam Webb recently said Sullivan is pushing 240 lbs. (as opposed to his listed 225 on the spring roster) and he has the frame to carry it well. With the coaches talking about using Jaishawn Barham off the edge at times, could Sullivan potentially slide into Barham’s spot in those packages? He could be the third linebacker or he could be behind Rolder and Georgia transfer Troy Bowles.

Another option is for him to follow in Rolder’s path. Rolder took a redshirt in his second year to give him some more separation from the guys ahead of him. Sullivan could redshirt in 2025 and then have an open path to playing time in 2026 without Barham and Ernest Hausmann blocking the way.

Either way, Sullivan should be a key special teams player in 2025 and start to see more time on defense.

Prediction: Backup inside linebacker, special teamer

2024 Season Countdown: #85 Cole Sullivan

Name: Cole Sullivan
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Pittsburgh (PA) Central Catholic
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #18
Last year: Sullivan was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 105 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 3 blocked punts; he also caught 36 passes for 450 yards and 9 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 87

Linebacker might not be the sexiest position, but Sullivan might be the most tantalizing prospect in the class of 2024. Lots of comparisons have been made between Sullivan and former Michigan linebacker/tight end/defensive end Chase Winovich, who made 44.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks during his time in Ann Arbor before becoming a 3rd round pick of the New England Patriots. Winovich started as a linebacker, bounced to tight end, and then finally settled in at defensive end, where his non-stop motor helped him terrorize opposing quarterbacks. Sullivan is the same height (6’3″) but a little bit lighter.

That’s not to say that Sullivan will be a defensive end, though I think he could be an outside linebacker in Michigan’s defensive system. I think Sullivan is a little better of an athlete than Winovich. Whether he has the same tenacity remains to be seen. Regardless, 215 pounds is pretty light for most positions on defense. He’s probably a year away from seeing the field much because of that lack of bulk, but Michigan could potentially use his athleticism on special teams. If preserving eligibility isn’t a concern, I would love to use someone like Sullivan on kickoff or punt coverage units. Much like Jimmy Rolder last year, I would expect to see Sullivan play in up to four games while still keeping his redshirt.

Prediction: Redshirt

2024 Spring Football Preview: Linebacker

2023 Starters: MLB Junior Colson, WLB Michael Barrett
Losses: Colson (NFL), Barrett (NFL)
Returning players: Jaydon Hood (RS Jr.), Ernest Hausmann (Jr.), Micah Pollard (Jr.), Jimmy Rolder (RS So.), Semaj Bridgeman (RS Fr.), Jason Hewlett (RS Fr.), Hayden Moore (RS Fr.)
Newcomers: Jaishawn Barham (Jr.), Jeremiah Beasley (Fr.), Cole Sullivan (Fr.)
Projected starters: MLB Barham, WLB Hausmann

With the prevalence of the nickel position, linebacker has been somewhat de-emphasized in recent years. A position group that used to play three guys is now primarily whittled down to two. Michigan had a very good two in 2023 in Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, but both are off to the NFL. Both have had very different paths, with Colson playing three years – two as a starter – and Barrett bouncing around between running back, slot receiver, Viper, and weakside linebacker.

Michigan will have two new starting faces at linebacker in 2024, and both of them are transfers who previously wore red. Barham is a two-year starter at Maryland whom the Wolverines poached this off-season. Hausmann started as a freshman at Nebraska in 2022 before joining the Wolverines in 2023, rotating heavily with Colson and Barrett as basically a third starter. So while both will be new starters at Michigan, they have three combined years of starting and another year of heavily involvement out of four college seasons. That’s a ton of experience for two “new” starters and should help Michigan’s defense succeed in 2024.

The backup situation is a little murkier, especially with a new defensive coordinator (Wink Martindale) and a new linebackers coach (Brian Jean-Mary). Jimmy Rolder got a lot of experience in 2022 before playing sparingly in 2023 in the hopes of preserving his redshirt, which was a successful endeavor. Rolder seems like the most likely guy to emerge as a rotational guy or primary backup in 2024. Meanwhile, Jaydon Hood is a fourth-year player who was recruited by Jean-Mary to Michigan out of high school; some suspected Hood would have left by now with no clear path to playing time, but he’s still wearing a winged helmet.

Junior Micah Pollard has played a ton of special teams and some in a backup role, but the rest of the guys are total unknowns on the college level. Semaj Bridgeman, Jason Hewlett, and Hayden Moore all redshirted in 2023, and Michigan gets two early enrollees involved this spring with in-state product Jeremiah Beasley and Pennsylvanian Cole Sullivan. There are way too many players (10) in the linebacker room to support just two starting spots, so this is a position group that will certainly be thinned out by transfers within the next couple years. But for now, it will be interesting to see who could eventually step in, because both Barham and Hausmann could conceivably jump to the NFL with solid seasons in 2024.

Visitors: Michigan vs. Ohio State

2024 PROSPECTS

Gatlin Bair – WR – Burley (ID) Burley: Bair is a 6’2″, 195-pounder who is committed to Boise State, who just fired head coach Andy Avalos. Bair is headed on a two-year Mormon mission after high school, so he will basically end up being a 2026 prospect. Bair is also considering Michigan and Oregon, along with BSU. He’s a 4-star, the #10 WR, and #40 overall. This visit is a possibility, but not set in stone at this point.

Zaquan Patterson – S – Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna: Patterson is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect who is committed to Miami. He’s a teammate of 2025 Michigan commit Chris Ewald. Patterson is a 4-star, the #5 safety, and #70 overall.

2024 COMMITS

QB Jadyn Davis
RB Micah Ka’apana
RB Jordan Marshall
WR Channing Goodwin
WR I’Marion Stewart
TE Hogan Hansen
TE Brady Prieskorn
OL Blake Frazier
OL Jake Guarnera
OL Luke Hamilton
OL Ben Roebuck
OL Andrew Sprague
DE Ted Hammond
DT Owen Wafle
LB Jeremiah Beasley
LB Mason Curtis
LB Zach Ludwig
LB Cole Sullivan
CB Jeremiah Lowe

Hit the jump for more.

Visitors: Michigan vs. Purdue

2024

Jadyn Davis – QB – Charlotte (NC) Providence Day: Davis is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jo’Ziah Edmond – CB – Nappanee (IN) Northwood: Edmond is committed to Michigan.

Channing Goodwin – WR – Charlotte (NC) Providence Day: Goodwin is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Hit the jump for more.