NOTE: Again, I apologize for the inconsistent posting schedule lately. Too many things going on right now. I’ve started preview posts the past two weeks and just haven’t been able to finish.
Bryce Underwood is a dude. The talent of Bryce Underwood is off the charts. Michigan has never seen anything like him on their roster. The closest is Drew Henson or Devin Gardner, but Underwood is a twitchier athlete than Henson and a better thrower than Gardner. Underwood completed 21/27 passes for 230 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, and he looked to be in control the entire game. There were a few drops, but I don’t love taking away the drops and making pronouncements about what his completion percentage should be, because then you’re not comparing apples to apples when it comes to other quarterbacks or general expectations. It’s sufficient enough to describe his accuracy by saying he completed 21/27 passes.
75. QB Jadyn Davis (RS Fr.): Davis was the #112 overall prospect in the class of 2024, but going into his second year at Michigan, he still has a lot of mechanical things to improve, particularly his long delivery. I would have ranked him higher in this year’s countdown if not for the late arrival of Jake Garcia, but I think Garcia’s college experience will push him ahead. My guess is that Davis will be #4 on the depth chart behind Bryce Underwood, Mikey Keene, and Garcia. Last year’s rank: #97.
74. TE Deakon Tonielli (RS So.): Well, I overshot Last year on Tonielli, ranking him #45 and thinking he would be essentially the #3 tight end behind Colston Loveland and Marlin Klein. Instead, Hogan Hansen took that role while Tonielli earned Scout Team Player of the Week honors twice. This year it seems like the tight end role will be diminished a little bit, and also there has been an emergence of Jalen Hoffman at the H-back position. I would also like to see Tonielli a little heavier on the fall roster, because he was 6’5″, 238 lbs. on the spring roster. Last year’s rank: #45.
73. CB Jeremiah Lowe (RS Fr.): Lowe didn’t play at all in 2024, taking a redshirt. This spring he was listed at 5’11” and 177 lbs. and was sort of an afterthought with the arrival of early enrollee Shamari Earls and a couple transfers in the defensive backfield. Lowe then made 2 interceptions in the spring game to put himself on the radar. I’m not ready to buy into him being a heavy contributor in Michigan’s defense, but there were plays to be made in the spring game and he made them. (He also had another nice pass breakup that was almost an interception.) Perhaps we’ll see him play a backup role in the hopes of becoming a bigger contributor in 2026. Last year’s rank: #107.
72. OT Ty Haywood (Fr.): Haywood is just a freshman, and it’s tough to get on the field as a freshman offensive lineman. However, he was #39 overall in the 247 Composite and flipped from Alabama. He’s a legit player but might need some time to develop after enrolling over the summer (unlike classmate Andrew Babalola who arrived in January). I don’t expect Haywood to compete for a starting job in 2025, but he could have an Andrew Sprague-like freshman year where he shows up late and then vies for a starting job in 2026.
71. RB C.J. Hester (RS Jr.): Hester is a transfer from UMass and led the Minutemen in rushing attempts in 2024, running 119 times for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns. At 5’11” and 195 pounds, he’s an adequate back but not particularly fast, elusive, or powerful. Michigan has a deep but largely unproven backfield this season, and Hester will probably be a relatively minor contributor behind Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes.
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.
Name: Deakon Tonielli Height: 6’5″ Weight: 238 lbs. High school: Oswego (IL) Oswego Position: Tight end Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #43 Last year: I ranked Tonielli #90 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted. TTB Rating: 76
Tonielli was a 230 pound freshman last year, and at that size, you’re probably not going to play at Michigan as a true freshman. It was a pretty easy guess that he would redshirt, and he did. Of course, it helped that Michigan had Colston Loveland and Indiana transfer A.J. Barner, so the Wolverines had their one-two punch at tight end. They played other guys like Matt Hibner, Josh Beetham, and Zack Marshall, but those weren’t vital cogs in the offense.
Aside from Max Bredeson, who’s essentially a fullback, Michigan seems to have its one-two punch again (Loveland and Marlin Klein), but the guy who plays the role of Hibner could very well be Tonielli. He’s not generating the practice buzz that Klein is, but he is on that next tier – perhaps on the level that Hibner and Klein were generating at one point. The excitement about Hibner (one of the best overall athletes) and Klein (one of the fastest overall players) was about their physical skill sets, while Tonielli seems appreciated for his route running and soft hands. I don’t expect Klein to suddenly jump to the same amount of playing time as, say, Barner, who was #8 on the team with 620 snaps last year, so I think the #3 tight end will get a little more run than last year’s #3 guy (Beetham). I also think the #3 tight end will probably play more snaps in 2024 because I expect some closer games, so Michigan will have to play its top few guys a little more rather than giving garbage time snaps to a bunch of players.
Prediction: Backup tight end; 3 catches for 40 yards
The tight end position is the one that has perhaps separated Michigan from so many other teams over the past several years. Not only has Michigan had some quality players in the role, but the number, usage, and motion of the tight ends have become staples of Michigan’s offensive approach.
Probably the best tight end to come along during Jim Harbaugh’s tenure was Colston Loveland (45 catches, 649 yards, 4 touchdowns), a rising junior who has the athleticism of some of the elite tight ends playing in the NFL. He’s good enough that this is probably his last season in Ann Arbor before getting drafted in 2025.
One-time Indiana transfer A.J. Barner (22 catches, 249 yards, 1 touchdown) was an excellent blocker and underrated pass catcher, but he’s headed to the NFL in next month’s draft. It appears the next guy in line to play a bunch of snaps in Barner’s place is Marlin Klein, a 6’6″, 250-pounder who had just 1 catch for 8 yards last fall. He needed to put on some weight early in his career, but he seems to finally be reaching a good playing weight to handle some of the blocking duties.
It’s also important to mention quasi-starting tight end Max Bredeson, who plays more of a fullback position but nonetheless started four games last season. He caught 2 passes for 19 yards altogether, but he’s a bruising blocker. At 6’2″ and 240 lbs., he’s unlikely to move into a true tight end role and will probably carry on as a fullback.
Redshirt freshman Zack Marshall (6’4″, 232) played in two games last year while redshirting, and classmate Deakon Tonielli (6’5″, 251) has some decent size already but did not get any experience. The most likely returning player to step into Klein’s role as the #3 tight end seems to be Marshall, who should be a little bigger this spring (and fall).
One of the most intriguing names, though, is freshman early enrollee Brady Prieskorn (6’6″, 220), who was a 4-star and the #129 overall player in the class of 2024. He’s an all-around tight end somewhat in the mold of Loveland in that he’s a good athlete who’s not afraid of contact. His physical development is going to be key in determining how ready he is to step on the field this fall. But if he’s even borderline ready from a physical standpoint, we could see him begin to emerge this spring as someone who could jump over Marshall and Tonielli to become that #3 tight end.
