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Sometimes there's a lot you can glean from spring ball, but often times, there's not. With the spring game, especially in Ann Arbor, given that there's a draft rather than it being a ones vs. twos situation, you can really only gauge how players look individually compared to the whole unit.
Thus, the way we learn about what's what in spring ball is more looking at the players who get mentioned by the coaches and their fellow teammates in interview sessions.
With that in mind, here are 10 Michigan football players who have gotten some early mentions and certainly could play big roles come the fall if they continue on the trajectory they appear to be on.
While not yet on the spectrum of being the spring breakout player, there's no one that appears to have gotten more positive mentions than the second-year edge rusher.
Expected to be in heavy rotation, Nichols already has the high expectations and praise of his teammates.
"I think Dom, we're gonna expect Dom to be a guy, you know what I'm saying?" senior TJ Guy said. "I don't really view him the same as some of the other kids in this class because I view him as somebody we have to lean on."
Even the outgoing players, such as Josaiah Stewart, had lavish praise for Nichols at pro day, when he was asked which young players would star in 2025.
"I've mentioned him before, but Dom Nichols, for sure," Stewart said. "I mean, man, he's just such raw talent. His power, flexibility, he's great."
Sherrone Moore mentioned Nichols among others on Monday as a player who should break out in 2025.
The most surprising name to come out of spring -- albeit after just the first practice -- was TJ Guy talking about true freshman wide receiver Jamar Browder.
WolverinesWire asked Guy which younger players flashed in practice one, and he didn't hesitate, noting that Browder had the big catch of the day.
"Jamar Browder made a catch yesterday. I was like damn, that's gonna look good," Guy said. "So him, for sure. A whole bunch of guys. This class is uber-talented, I think, for real. So you guys are gonna see, like I said, day one, but we'll see more for sure."
At 6-foot-5, Browder brings needed size to a wide receivers room that has been more diminutive in recent years. Is this enough to ensure that he'll stand out this year? No, but it's a step in the right direction.
Not talked about nearly enough, the fifth-year tackle has gotten numerous mentions this offseason from defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, including this from his appearance on the In the Trenches podcast.
"Ike being one of them," Martindale said. "He had his shirt off today and I'm like, hey, Ike, but there's quite a few guys like that. And you still have guys who played last year on the defense. And just they're they're not going to let it drop the expectation of where our defense is going to be."
He was mentioned again by Martindale at his pre-spring ball press conference. Though more people are talking about the two senior transfers (or the next person on our list), it's safe to say that Martindale's praise indicates a strong likelihood that Iwunnah will be a big part of Michigan's defensive plans in 2025.
Pierce has gotten some cursory mentions by coaches and players alike, but given that he's entering his third year and had a strong showing in the ReliaQuest Bowl -- where he started opposite Rayshaun Benny -- it's pretty clear that the former four-star will be a mainstay on this year's defense.
Mentioned alongside fellow true freshman Chase Taylor, the former four-star from IMG Academy has already gotten some positive publicity from head coach Sherrone Moore as well as senior linebacker Ernest Hausmann. Of the two freshmen, Owusu-Boateng looks like the more likely candidate to get some early playing time.
Sullivan is a big-bodied linebacker who premiered on special teams in his freshman campaign. Entering his sophomore season, Sherrone Moore noted him as a linebacker who is starting to stand out, saying, "Cole Sullivan, he's gotten bigger, gotten stronger, continues to get better."
Hausmann agreed, noting Sullivan as his first mention of being a player who is really improving in the linebacker room.
"I'm really impressed with Cole Sullivan," Hausmann said. "He's been putting in a lot of work this offseason.
Hansen didn't star quite as much as Colston Loveland did at the tail end of his freshman season, but you could see some of the similarities. We asked Loveland at pro day about Hansen and the pass-catching tight end from Washington is poised to have a solid year entering year two.
"Yeah, I think he can be a dang good player," Loveland said. "He works hard, does everything the right way. Athletic, long, can catch, run. So, I think he's going to be a good player. The whole tight end room's got just as much depth as it had."
The more publicized of the freshman receivers, Marsh (like Browder) was an early enrollee, and looked the part of being a potential year-one contributor during the open sessions of bowl prep.
Sherrone Moore said of him that, despite being 6-feet, Marsh stands out along with the bigger, taller receivers that the Wolverines have brought in this offseason.
"He's not a small guy. He's a long-limbed guy," Moore said. "I felt like we'd bring in really good size in that group to help us be more explosive in the passing game, and that's what I wanted."
The former Georgia commit appears poised to take advantage of the lack of depth in the cornerbacks room. Sherrone Moore cautioned that just because he's doing well early in spring ball doesn't mean that Earls will quickly be in rotation, but he certainly appears to be on that trajectory.
"Yeah, you can definitely see it, especially being that size and that long. For a true freshman, he's definitely flashed and made the plays you would think he would," Moore said. "I just reserve reservation to say anything else until we tackle and we really play football because the first two days you're in helmets and spiders, so it's tag off. And then Saturday it was thud, so it's good football, but we want to hit and tackle and see what we're really all about."
Duh.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: 10 young Michigan Wolverines who could break out in 2025
Continue reading...
Thus, the way we learn about what's what in spring ball is more looking at the players who get mentioned by the coaches and their fellow teammates in interview sessions.
With that in mind, here are 10 Michigan football players who have gotten some early mentions and certainly could play big roles come the fall if they continue on the trajectory they appear to be on.
EDGE Dom Nichols
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While not yet on the spectrum of being the spring breakout player, there's no one that appears to have gotten more positive mentions than the second-year edge rusher.
Expected to be in heavy rotation, Nichols already has the high expectations and praise of his teammates.
"I think Dom, we're gonna expect Dom to be a guy, you know what I'm saying?" senior TJ Guy said. "I don't really view him the same as some of the other kids in this class because I view him as somebody we have to lean on."
Even the outgoing players, such as Josaiah Stewart, had lavish praise for Nichols at pro day, when he was asked which young players would star in 2025.
"I've mentioned him before, but Dom Nichols, for sure," Stewart said. "I mean, man, he's just such raw talent. His power, flexibility, he's great."
Sherrone Moore mentioned Nichols among others on Monday as a player who should break out in 2025.
WR Jamar Browder
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The most surprising name to come out of spring -- albeit after just the first practice -- was TJ Guy talking about true freshman wide receiver Jamar Browder.
WolverinesWire asked Guy which younger players flashed in practice one, and he didn't hesitate, noting that Browder had the big catch of the day.
"Jamar Browder made a catch yesterday. I was like damn, that's gonna look good," Guy said. "So him, for sure. A whole bunch of guys. This class is uber-talented, I think, for real. So you guys are gonna see, like I said, day one, but we'll see more for sure."
At 6-foot-5, Browder brings needed size to a wide receivers room that has been more diminutive in recent years. Is this enough to ensure that he'll stand out this year? No, but it's a step in the right direction.
DT Ike Iwunnah
Not talked about nearly enough, the fifth-year tackle has gotten numerous mentions this offseason from defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, including this from his appearance on the In the Trenches podcast.
"Ike being one of them," Martindale said. "He had his shirt off today and I'm like, hey, Ike, but there's quite a few guys like that. And you still have guys who played last year on the defense. And just they're they're not going to let it drop the expectation of where our defense is going to be."
He was mentioned again by Martindale at his pre-spring ball press conference. Though more people are talking about the two senior transfers (or the next person on our list), it's safe to say that Martindale's praise indicates a strong likelihood that Iwunnah will be a big part of Michigan's defensive plans in 2025.
DT Trey Pierce
Pierce has gotten some cursory mentions by coaches and players alike, but given that he's entering his third year and had a strong showing in the ReliaQuest Bowl -- where he started opposite Rayshaun Benny -- it's pretty clear that the former four-star will be a mainstay on this year's defense.
LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng
Mentioned alongside fellow true freshman Chase Taylor, the former four-star from IMG Academy has already gotten some positive publicity from head coach Sherrone Moore as well as senior linebacker Ernest Hausmann. Of the two freshmen, Owusu-Boateng looks like the more likely candidate to get some early playing time.
LB Cole Sullivan
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Sullivan is a big-bodied linebacker who premiered on special teams in his freshman campaign. Entering his sophomore season, Sherrone Moore noted him as a linebacker who is starting to stand out, saying, "Cole Sullivan, he's gotten bigger, gotten stronger, continues to get better."
Hausmann agreed, noting Sullivan as his first mention of being a player who is really improving in the linebacker room.
"I'm really impressed with Cole Sullivan," Hausmann said. "He's been putting in a lot of work this offseason.
TE Hogan Hansen
Hansen didn't star quite as much as Colston Loveland did at the tail end of his freshman season, but you could see some of the similarities. We asked Loveland at pro day about Hansen and the pass-catching tight end from Washington is poised to have a solid year entering year two.
"Yeah, I think he can be a dang good player," Loveland said. "He works hard, does everything the right way. Athletic, long, can catch, run. So, I think he's going to be a good player. The whole tight end room's got just as much depth as it had."
WR Andrew Marsh
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The more publicized of the freshman receivers, Marsh (like Browder) was an early enrollee, and looked the part of being a potential year-one contributor during the open sessions of bowl prep.
Sherrone Moore said of him that, despite being 6-feet, Marsh stands out along with the bigger, taller receivers that the Wolverines have brought in this offseason.
"He's not a small guy. He's a long-limbed guy," Moore said. "I felt like we'd bring in really good size in that group to help us be more explosive in the passing game, and that's what I wanted."
CB Shamari Earls
The former Georgia commit appears poised to take advantage of the lack of depth in the cornerbacks room. Sherrone Moore cautioned that just because he's doing well early in spring ball doesn't mean that Earls will quickly be in rotation, but he certainly appears to be on that trajectory.
"Yeah, you can definitely see it, especially being that size and that long. For a true freshman, he's definitely flashed and made the plays you would think he would," Moore said. "I just reserve reservation to say anything else until we tackle and we really play football because the first two days you're in helmets and spiders, so it's tag off. And then Saturday it was thud, so it's good football, but we want to hit and tackle and see what we're really all about."
QB Bryce Underwood
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Duh.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: 10 young Michigan Wolverines who could break out in 2025
Continue reading...
