Here’s a roundup of the former Michigan player, former commits, and former coaches (or players-turned-coaches). NOTE: I will not regularly post updates about offensive linemen since stats are minimal and just posting PFF grades is kind of boring, but I did this week just to show who’s playing where and what their opening day role was.
FORMER PLAYERS
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony has not played since week one due to an injury.
LB Jeremiah Beasley (Missouri): Beasley made 2 tackles in a 39-20 win over Mississippi State.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman did not play in a 56-48 loss to Texas Tech.
LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan State): Bridgeman has not recorded any stats yet this year for MSU.
Here’s a roundup of the former Michigan player, former commits, and former coaches (or players-turned-coaches). NOTE: I will not regularly post updates about offensive linemen since stats are minimal and just posting PFF grades is kind of boring, but I did this week just to show who’s playing where and what their opening day role was.
FORMER PLAYERS
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony caught 1 pass for 4 yards in a 51-3 win over Temple. This was Anthony’s first game back after tearing his ACL last season.
LB Jeremiah Beasley (Missouri): Beasley made 1 tackle in a 51-0 win over Murray State.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 25/34 passes for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 44-20 win over South Dakota State.
LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan State): Bridgeman did not record any stats in a 16-10 win over FAU.
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.
Burley (ID) Burley WR Gatlin Bair may head to Ann Arbor for the OSU game
2024PROSPECTS
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
Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna safety Zaquan Patterson (image via 247 Sports)
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Michigan’s annual BBQ at the Big House will be taking place on July 29-30. With a lot of connections already made for the current 2024 recruiting class, the BBQ is always largely about making inroads with underclassmen. Below is a list of players expected to make it to Ann Arbor for the BBQ:
TRANSFER
Nigel Glover – LB – Northwestern: Glover is a 6’3″, 210 lb. transfer from Northwestern who decided to leave the Wildcats after head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired. He was a 4-star, the #30 linebacker, and #335 overall in the class of 2023 and was the program’s highest rated signee. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pitt, Purdue, Washington, and West Virginia were some of the other Power Five programs after him out of high school, so that’s a decent offer list but not a great one.
2024
Jeremiah Beasley – LB – Belleville (MI) Belleville: Beasley is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Jacob Oden – S – Harper Woods (MI) Harper Woods: Oden is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Zaquan Patterson – S – Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna: Patterson is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #3 safety, and #76 overall. A teammate of 2025 Michigan commit Chris Ewald (see below), this is Patterson’s second unofficial visit to Ann Arbor.
Brady Prieskorn – TE – Rochester (MI) Adams: Prieskorn is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Ben Roebuck – OT – Lakewood (OH) St. Edward: Roebuck is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Jaden Smith – LB – Charlotte (NC) West: Smith is committed to Michigan (LINK).
I’Marion Stewart – WR – Chicago (IL) Kenwood: Stewart is committed to Michigan (LINK).
