Tag: Eli Owens

2025 Season Countdown: #101-104

Okay, so as I mentioned before, this summer has been an odd one because of some personal stuff going on. Because of that, I basically ignored the 2025 Season Countdown for several weeks and I’ve mainly just been trying to keep up with commitment posts and visitor lists during a busy June/July. As an attempt to catch back up, I’m going to do the countdown in batches instead of individually until I can catch up.

104. QB Chase Herbstreit (Fr.): The son of former Ohio State quarterback and current ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, Chase (3-star, #149 QB, #2222 overall) was a late addition to the class of 2025. With Bryce Underwood and Mikey Keene vying for the starting job, the real race is for the #3 spot, which could go to incoming transfer Jake Garcia or redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis (or fifth year senior Davis Warren if he gets healthy). But Herbstreit will almost certainly be on the outside looking in.

103. C Kaden Strayhorn (Fr.): Strayhorn (3-star, #35 IOL, #518 overall), the son of former Michigan State defensive tackle Jason Strayhorn, came from IMG Academy and enrolled early. He struggled a little bit in the spring game, which is to be expected, especially since he spent a lot of time playing tackle in high school. With Greg Crippen returning as a starter and a couple other guys, including redshirt freshman Jake Guarnera, also getting snaps in practice, Strayhorn will probably be no higher than #3 or #4 on the depth chart at center.

102. TE Eli Owens (Fr.): Owens, the son of former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens (just kidding), wants to be the next Max Bredeson. The problem is that former walk-on Jalen Hoffman also wants to be the next Max Bredeson, and Hoffman was the star of the spring game. Owens (3-star, #29 TE, #562 overall) is probably going to be a thumping fullback/H-back at some point in his career, but we’ll likely have to wait for 2026 after Max Bredeson graduates.

101. DT Travis Moten (Fr.): Moten (4-star, #35 DL, #328 overall) is listed at 6’5″ and 250 pounds, and he’s headed for the defensive tackle position in college. Even if he has added significant weight since his senior season, it’s tough to play on the interior defensive line in college because the musculature and technique just haven’t caught up yet to where they need to be. Michigan rotates a ton on the defensive line and also needs to keep an eye on developing for 2026, because a bunch of seniors will leave the squad after this season. So maybe Moten can sneak in some garbage time snaps, but he probably won’t play a significant role.

2025 Spring Football Preview: Tight End

RETURNING PLAYERS: Max Bredeson (RS Sr.), Marlin Klein (RS Jr.), Jalen Hoffman (RS So.), Zack Marshall (RS So.), Deakon Tonielli (RS So.), Hogan Hansen (So.), Brady Prieskorn (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Eli Owens (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Colston Loveland (NFL draft)

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.

2025 Offensive Recruiting Update: November 27, 2024

With National Signing Day looming in early December – and lots of recruiting movement – I wanted to catch up on some of the most recent happenings as Michigan tries to fill out its 2025 recruiting class.

QUARTERBACK

COMMIT: Belleville (MI) Belleville quarterback Bryce Underwood committed to Michigan (LINK). It seems as if Fort Myers (FL) Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith at least suspected that was going to happen, and he decommitted beforehand; Smith recently committed to Wisconsin and will be a Badger instead, perhaps with eyes on getting a bit of revenge against the Wolverines down the road.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Michigan will also be looking to add a quarterback through the transfer portal, and USC transfer Miller Moss has been rumored to be a possible candidate.

Hit the jump for more.

Visitors: Michigan vs. USC

2025

Avery Gach – OT – Birmingham (MI) Groves: Gach is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Donovan Johnson – RB – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Johnson is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Bobby Kanka – DT – Howell (MI) Howell: Kanka is committed to Michigan.

Hit the jump for more.

Visitors: Michigan vs. Texas

1992

Derek Jeter – SS – Kalamazoo (MI) Central: Jeter was committed to Michigan as a baseball player in the class of 1992 but chose to sign with the New York Yankees instead. The Hall of Famer will serve as an honorary captain for the game against Texas.

2025

Avery Gach – OG – Franklin (MI) Groves: Gach is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Julius Holly – DE – Alpharetta (GA) Alpharetta: Holly is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Bobby Kanka – DT – Howell (MI) Howell: Kanka is committed to Michigan.

Andrew Marsh – WR – Fulshear (TX) Katy Jordan: Marsh is committed to Michigan.

Eli Owens – TE – Alcoa (TN) Alcoa: Owens is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Ivan Taylor – S – Winter Garden (FL) West Orange: Taylor is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Hit the jump for more.