Tag: transfers

Hudson Hollenbeck, Wolverine

Kicker/punter Hudson Hollenbeck committed to Michigan on social media. He was a class of 2022 walk-on at Mississippi State but did not see the field last season.

I usually don’t do commitment posts for walk-ons, but this seems slightly different, since Hollenbeck is joining the team from another FBS program. (Reasons for the transfer are unclear at this point, but it’s important to remember that Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach died unexpectedly, so the program is going through a change this off-season.)

It’s a blessing to wear the historic Maize and Blue!! Let’s get to work @UMichFootball and GO BLUE!! Special thanks to @JayHarbaugh and @JTBrown721 for believing in me and presenting me with this amazing opportunity!! I am COMMITTED to the University of Michigan!!!! pic.twitter.com/HMpstRMBQg

— Hudson Hollenbeck (@hollenbeck_h6) May 4, 2023

Hollenbeck is listed at 6’3″ and 195 lbs. on the Bulldogs’ roster. He was a 5-star and the #7 punter in the class of 2022, according to Kohl’s Kicking, and he was a 4.5-star kicker. He enters the program with four years of eligibility remaining.

Michigan’s kicking situation is in flux, because both specialists (kicker Jake Moody and punter Brad Robbins) were drafted in last weekend’s NFL Draft. The Wolverines recently got a commitment from Louisville kicker James Turner, but he has just one season remaining. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Tommy Doman and true freshman kicker Adam Samaha will both be on scholarship this fall. Doman has punted once for 41 yards and had 8 kickoffs (with 6 touchbacks) in his career so far.

I would suspect that Hollenbeck will compete for playing time with Doman on punts but may be more of a factor on kickoffs, which might prevent Doman from having to pull double duty.

Hollenbeck is originally from Collierville (TN) Collierville.

Here are Hudson Hollenbeck’s Hudl highlights (say that five times fast):

Alan Bowman, Ex-Wolverine

Quarterback Alan Bowman has entered the transfer portal. Bowman came to Michigan from Texas Tech in 2020 after losing his starting job for the Red Raiders, and he has spent the last two seasons competing for the starting position, albeit losing out to Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy, not to mention walk-on Davis Warren, who also passed up Bowman. While it made sense to bring him in at the time, it always seemed a bit dubious since the expectation seemed to be clear that McCarthy would be the starter as soon as possible.

Bowman completed 6/7 passes for 60 yards and 1 touchdown this season as essentially the fourth-stringer behind McCarthy, McNamara, and Warren (though the third-string guy after McNamara got injured). Last season he was 2/4 for 9 yards and 1 interception.

The most interesting thing about Bowman is that he’s going into his seventh – and presumably final – season in 2023. He redshirted in 2017, lost a season to injury, and had the COVID year not count against him, so the odd rules of the NCAA are giving him seven years to play college football when it only takes many guys three years to get a degree.

I would expect the Texas native to end up somewhere closer to home outside the Power 5 conferences, perhaps somewhere like Rice or Tulsa or North Texas. He has thrown for 34 career touchdowns between Texas Tech and Michigan, so that’s a great deal of experience and overall success if you’re looking for a veteran quarterback.

George Rooks, Ex-Wolverine

Second-year defensive lineman George Rooks has entered the transfer portal. Rooks played in six games this past season and three in 2021. He made 1 tackle and 1 fumble recovery in his career as a Wolverine.

Rooks was a class of 2021 signee and part of a much needed influx of defensive linemen. Coming out of Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep, he was a 4-star, the #35 defensive lineman, and #271 overall. I gave him a TTB Rating of 80 (LINK) and here was my overall summation of his talents:

Overall, Rooks has a nice set of athletic skills but is held back by a little bit of a tendency toward finesse when taking on blockers. I believe he will make a move to the interior of the defensive line, and it will take some time to bulk up. I see him as an eventual 290- to 295-pounder playing 3-tech (outside shoulder of the guard) or 4i (inside shoulder of tackle). With proper development, he could become a quietly solid player in the mold of Matt Godin.

Listed at 6’5″ and 278 lbs., Rooks never reached the weight that I expected from him. Obviously, he never made much of an impact at Michigan, but based on what I’ve seen, I think he could still be a quality player for someone down the road.

Rooks is the second player from the 2021 class to announce an entry into the transfer portal, following tight end Louis Hansen.

LaDarius Henderson, Wolverine

Arizona State offensive guard LaDarius Henderson announced today that he would be spending his final year of eligibility in Ann Arbor.

Henderson was a 6’4″, 270 lb. offensive tackle prospect coming out of Waxahachie (TX) Waxahachie in the class of 2019. He was ranked as a 247 Composite 3-star and the #50 offensive tackle, and he picked ASU over offers from Boise State, Colorado State, and Illinois, among others. (Fun fact: While at Waxahachie, Henderson played for former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, who coached the program for three seasons before stepping down.)

Now listed at 6’5″ and 310 lbs., Henderson started thirteen games at left guard in 2021 – in fact, all but 12 of ASU’s offensive snaps – but only played in six games in 2022 due to injury. Overall, he has 29 career starts and was named a team captain this past season. He had accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game, but instead it appears he will play for the Wolverines.

Michigan is losing at least two starters after this season in left tackle Ryan Hayes and center Olu Oluwatimi; but there’s a good chance that one or both guards, Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, enter the NFL Draft in 2023. Henderson was ranked as an offensive tackle coming out of high school and played some as a backup tackle in 2020, but he’s more of a guard. My guess is that Michigan plans to bring him in to compete at the guard position.

A possible depth chart for 2023 could be (as the roster stands right now):

LT: Karsen Barnhart (RS Sr.), Jeffrey Persi (RS Jr.), Evan Link (Fr.)
LG: Trevor Keegan (RS Sr.), LaDarius Henderson (RS Sr.), Alessandro Lorenzetti (RS Fr.), Connor Jones (RS Fr.)
C: Greg Crippen (RS So.), Raheem Anderson (RS So.), Amir Herring (Fr.)
RG: Zak Zinter (RS Jr.), Giovanni El-Hadi (RS So.), Dominick Giudice (RS So.), Nathan Efobi (Fr.)
RT: Trente Jones (RS Sr.), Andrew Gentry (RS Fr.), Tristan Bounds (RS So.)

Louis Hansen, Ex-Wolverine

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 don’t 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.