Tag: Hogan Hansen

2026 Season Countdown: #26-30

#26. Andrew Babalola – OT – Overland Park (KS) Blue Valley Northwest: Babalola is a 6’6″, 305 lb. second-year player who missed the 2025 season due to an ACL tear during fall camp. A former 5-star recruit, he now has a chance to potentially start at left tackle for the Wolverines. The problem is that he’s battling with Blake Frazier, a third-year player who also came into college as a pretty darn athletic tackle prospect. Babalola missed a year of on-the-field development and wasn’t extremely technically developed as a prep player, so I think he will begin the year as the sixth lineman or potentially the Rhino. There are usually injuries and/or re-shufflings on the offensive line, so he could very well move into the starting lineup at some point this season.

#27. Shamari Earls – CB – Richmond (VA) Thomas Dale: The 6’2″, 195 lb. sophomore played in six games last season, but it was a pretty forgettable year. He didn’t record any statistics whatsoever. But going into the 2026 season, it sounds like Earls has developed into approximately what people expected, and he has jumped past most of the guys on the roster. If not for the transfer arrival of Smith Snowden and the slightly unexpected return of Zeke Berry, Earls might be penciled in as a starter at cornerback. It sounds like he will be the third outside corner, and that guy plays quite a bit of football throughout the season. Snowden and Berry will both be out of eligibility after this season and starting cornerback Jyaire Hill will probably jump to the NFL, so Earls has an opportunity this season to play significant minutes and then be prepared to step in as a full-time starter in 2027.

#28. Cam Brown – P – Coolangatta (Australia) Palm Beach Corrumbin State: Brown is a 6’3″, 185 lb. player who spent his 2025 freshman season at UNLV for Dan Mullen. He punted 22 times for 943 yards (42.9 yards/punt), forced 8 fair catches, and landed 8 punts inside the 20-yard line. Michigan has a returning starter at punter in Hudson Hollenbeck, but Hollenbeck was pretty inconsistent last season with several shanked punts. I expect Brown to be the starter in 2026, but with an experienced and pretty capable backup, he’s not necessarily paramount to Michigan’s success this year.

#29. Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng – LB – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Owusu-Boateng is a 6’1″, 216 lb. sophomore who played in seven games in 2025, making 4 tackles. Linebacker is a very uncertain group in 2026 because the Wolverines lost their top three linebackers: Jimmy Rolder (NFL), Ernest Hausmann (left the team), and Cole Sullivan (Oklahoma). They also didn’t do a great job of replacing the position in the transfer portal. One would think a team like Michigan could attract and/or afford some top talent, but they got some so-so transfers. Perhaps Max Alford or Aisea Moa or Nathaniel Staehling will turn out to be stars, but the jury is still out. Regardless, Owusu-Boateng seems like someone who will be a good player down the road, but he’s very light at 216 lbs. and doesn’t have much experience. I expect him to be a backup in 2026, but I’m not sure anyone but perhaps the coaches knows how this will play out.

#30. Hogan Hansen – TE – Bellevue (WA) Bellevue: Hansen is a 6’6″, 240 lb. junior who caught 6 passes for 74 yards in 2025. In some ways, he looks like the smoothest tight end Michigan has had outside of Colston Loveland in the past several years. In other ways, he looks exactly like 2024 Colston Loveland in that he was injured for most of 2025. Hansen appears to be a potential difference maker as a receiving tight end with his smooth hands, but he will need to stay healthy. Tight end is another interesting position battle in 2026, because there’s the Rhino position (see Andrew Babalola above), there are a couple fullback types in the mix (Jalen Hoffman and Eli Owens), and then there are a few true tight ends like Hansen, Zack Marshall, and Deakon Tonielli. I like what Hansen brings to the table as a receiver, and new offensive coordinator Jason Beck did a good job getting production from tight ends in 2025 at Utah: Dallen Bentley had 48 catches for 620 yards and 6 touchdowns for the Utes, and J.J. Buchanan – who was listed as a tight end – was flat-out used as a receiver because his skills were recognized as a mismatch. Furthermore, Beck turned former Wolverine Dan Villari into an all-around threat in 2023 at Syracuse, where Villari totaled 6 touchdowns as a passer, runner, and receiver.

Michigan 63, Central Michigan 3

Michigan is really good. No disrespect to CMU, but that was an a** kicking. Michigan dominated them physically, and that happened minus the two starting offensive guards and a potential starting left tackle in Andrew Babalola. Michigan averaged 7.7 yards per play, including 6.9 yards per rushing attempt and 9.4 yards per passing attempt. Michigan had seven players with a rush of 10+ yards, including two wide receivers in Andrew Marsh and Anthony Simpson.

Or Central Michigan isn’t good. One thing I have noticed over the years is that the weaker opponents usually have at least one guy who’s dangerous, whether it’s a tough running back who’s difficult to bring down or a speedy slot receiver or maybe a quick quarterback. That’s not the case with Central Michigan. I didn’t see anyone who made me nervous, and they couldn’t threaten the Wolverines. Defensively, they might play with enough discipline to get some wins this season, but they don’t have playmakers on offense.

Hit the jump for more.

2025 Season Countdown: #36-40

40. TE Hogan Hansen (So.): Hansen certainly outplayed his countdown ranking last season, playing in ten games and making 7 catches for 78 yards and 1 touchdown. Assuming the pecking order remains the same, that should move Hansen up one spot since Colston Loveland went to the Bears in the 1st round of the NFL draft. With Marlin Klein as the starter, Hansen should be in the mix pretty regularly, along with H-backs Max Bredeson and Jalen Hoffman. Last year’s rank: #110.

39. LB Jimmy Rolder (RS Jr.): Rolder is one of those guys whose career has kind of slipped past. Now he’s in his fourth year, and though he has played quite a bit (31 games, including 24 on defense), he has yet to really make his mark. Over the past couple seasons, Michigan has brought in Ernest Hausmann from Nebraska and Jaishawn Barham from Maryland to play inside linebacker, and Rolder has patiently waited for his opportunity. This off-season saw the addition of Troy Bowles from Georgia, too. The 6’2″, 240 lb. Rolder would probably be starting by now in another era (26 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss in 2024), but it looks like he’ll be in the second group of inside linebackers, along with Cole Sullivan. Last year’s rank: #33.

38. OT Brady Norton (RS So.): Norton transferred to Michigan this off-season after spending two seasons at Cal Poly where he started eleven games in 2024, earning Freshman All-America status for FCS. Though the spring roster still listed him at 6’3″, 275 lbs., he insists that was his playing weight as a freshman and that he’s more like 315 lbs. now. I tend to think he’s a year away from playing at the Big Ten level, and he will probably end up playing guard before all is said and done. For now I think he’ll be one of the top eight or nine linemen who could sub in if there’s an injury or get some developmental time. With Giovanni El-Hadi, Lawrence Hattar, and Greg Crippen all out of eligibility after 2025, there will be three spots open on the interior.

37. C Jake Guarnera (RS Fr.): Guarnera played in five games on special teams in 2024, preserving his redshirt since one of those games was the bowl game against Alabama. The 6’4″, 317 lb. second-year player has received some quiet praise from the coaches and looks like he might be the backup center for 2025 behind Greg Crippen. Crippen is a fifth year senior and should have a stranglehold on the position, but he did face stiff competition from a converted defensive tackle last year in Dominick Giudice, so there might be some shakiness that Guarnera could help to stabilize. Last year’s rank: #102.

36. OT Blake Frazier (RS Fr.): Frazier was a well regarded recruit in the 2024 class who needed to add weight and also dealt with some injuries over the past couple years. The son of former Michigan center Steve Frazier, Blake is someone who has received praise from the coaches and could very well slide in at tackle this season. Sam Webb has been projecting Frazier to start. I’m not quite there yet because the injury/inexperience combination scares me a little bit, so I’m leaning toward Evan Link starting at left tackle. Meanwhile, true freshman Andrew Babalola is also fighting to play, so it seems like a three-way battle. Last year’s rank: #91.

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.

2024 Season Countdown: #110 Hogan Hansen

Name: Hogan Hansen
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 230 lbs.
High school: Bellevue (WA) Bellevue
Position: Tight end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #81
Last year: Hansen was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 11 passes for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns, and ran 8 times for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns; he also made 44 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.
TTB Rating: 78

Hansen made the great choice of picking a college program that also wears winged helmets, so he can keep the same look from his high school years. He also picked a team that loves to use tight ends. Even if Jim Harbaugh, the tight end whisperer, is gone to the NFL, I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that Sherrone Moore will continue to use a heavy dose of tight ends in his offensive philosophy. Hansen comes from a Wing-T program where he isn’t used to getting the ball a ton (19 offensive touches as a senior) and he has good technique as a blocker, so it will largely be a matter of adding size and strength in college.

Fortunately for his development, Hansen will probably not be asked to play right away. Michigan has returning star Colston Loveland at the position, and he’ll be backed up by guys like Marlin Klein and Deakon Tonielli, not to mention fullback-ish tight ends Max Bredeson and Jalen Hoffman. Additionally, Michigan brought in an elite tight end prospect in Brady Prieskorn in the 2024 class. This should be a year of preparation and development for Hansen.

Prediction: Redshirt