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FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL in week seven. He led the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin at the time of his injury.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 31/47 passes for 321 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in a 40-34 win over BYU.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony caught 7 passes for 76 yards and 1 touchdown in a 28-11 win over SMU. He is now OU’s leading receiver with 10 catches for 142 yards and 1 score on the year.
— πΊπππππππ ππ. πΏππ πππππ (@soonergridiron) September 9, 2023
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 11/16 passes for 113 yards in a 27-15 win over Arizona State. He also ran 2 times for -5 yards. He’s in a real battle for the QB job as OSU played three quarterbacks in a relatively tight game.
TE Erick All (Iowa): All is now a Hawkeye and might play second fiddle at tight end to Luke Lachey, but Iowa uses multiple tight ends on a regular basis, so he should get plenty of playing time. Last year’s second tight end was Lachey, who had 28 catches for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns behind Sam LaPorta, who is now with the Detroit Lions.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is slotted in as a starting receiver for the Sooners this fall. He’s listed as a 6’1″, 192 lb. junior.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman is in a battle for the starting quarterback job at one of the “other” OSU schools.
OG Zach Carpenter (Indiana): Carpenter is a redshirt senior who is expected to start at center for the Hoosiers.
S Damani Dent (Charlotte): Dent is a 5’11”, 196 lb. redshirt freshman at Charlotte.
CB Darion Green-Warren (Nevada): Green-Warren is a redshirt sophomore who is expected to be a backup for the Wolfpack in 2023.
TE Louis Hansen (UConn): Hansen is expected to start for the Huskies at tight end this fall. He’s listed at 6’4″ and 238 pounds.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP/Shutterstock (12879266w)
Michigan tight end Louis Hansen plays during an NCAA college football intra-squad spring game, in Ann Arbor, Mich
Michigan Spring Football, Ann Arbor, United States – 02 Apr 2022
Second-year tight end Louis Hansen announced that he is entering the transfer portal. Hansen played in one game in 2021 and in two games during the 2022 season.
Hansen was a 4-star, the #11 tight end, and #257 in the 247 Composite during the 2021 recruiting cycle, with offers from Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. The Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s product committed to Michigan in April 2020 during the beginning of the COVID outbreak and was a vocal recruiter in the class, so it’s a bit surprising in retrospect to see him not stick around.
Here’s what I said about him when he committed (LINK):
“Overall, Hansen is a fine prospect. Is he a difference maker at the next level? I donβt believe so. Could he come in to Michigan and maintain the status quo? Sure. He could be Sean McKeon with a little better ball skills.”
However, Hansen has also played very little in two seasons, despite having good size and decent athleticism. He was buried on the depth chart this season even when Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker were hurt; and freshman Colston Loveland and walk-on Max Bredeson both passed him up for playing time. His size (6’5″, 245 lbs.) and athleticism do not appear to be the limiting factor, but he never got much practice buzz; I can only assume there were some habits that were just not in line with what the coaching staff sought.
Hansen is the first member of the 2021 recruiting class to depart, though there will surely be others, including this off-season. Jim Harbaugh spoke proudly in the pre-season about keeping that 2021 class together despite concerns about his job and the stability of the program. The class was never going to stay intact forever, but at least all those players lasted two seasons.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP/Shutterstock (12879266w)
Michigan tight end Louis Hansen plays during an NCAA college football intra-squad spring game, in Ann Arbor, Mich
Michigan Spring Football, Ann Arbor, United States – 02 Apr 2022
Name: Louis Hansen Height: 6’6″ Weight: 252 lbs. High school: Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s Position: Tight end Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #81 Last year: I ranked Hansen #46 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in one game. TTB Rating: 84
Hansen looked to me like a freshman tight end who might actually be physically ready to play in 2021, and he’s a cautionary tale for the class of 2022 tight ends like Colston Loveland and Marlin Klein. Despite being over 250 pounds as a freshman, Hansen spent all but one game watching from the sideline as Erick All, Luke Schoonmaker, Joel Honigford, Trente Jones, and Carter Selzer gobbled up almost every snap.
This year every single one of those players returns. The one quasi-exception is Trente Jones, who’s moving back to his more natural position of offensive tackle, where he appears to be the favorite to start now that Andrew Stueber is gone. Michigan will probably employ a backup lineman as a “tight end” like they did with Jones, so not even that spot is really up for grabs for Hansen. Snaps are going to be limited, but I do think it’s time to work in some younger backups, because All, Schoonmaker, Honigford, and Selzer are all seniors with expiring eligibility (technically, All, Schoonmaker, and Selzer could use the COVID exemption to return in 2023). If the status quo remains, Michigan could very well enter 2023 with practically zero playing experience from its returning tight ends in Hansen, Matt Hibner, Loveland, and Klein, so I think Hansen might elbow his way into some playing time.
