2025 B1G Team Talent Preview: Michigan

Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images for ONIT

Welcome to the 16th part in our series looking at the rosters of every Big Ten team as we head ever closer to opening day.

The order is organized by my team talent rankings. For more information on how those numbers came about, check out the intro for the Maryland post

. And while you’re there, go ahead and read the whole thing then come back. We’ll wait for you.

Past Teams

Tier 5— 18. Maryland Terrapins, 17. Purdue Boilermakers

Tier 4— 16. Iowa Hawkeyes, 15. Minnesota Golden Gophers, 14. Northwestern

Wildcats

Tier 3— 13. UCLA Bruins, 12. Illinois Fighting Ilini, 11. Washington Huskies, 10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 9. Indiana Hoosiers, 8. Michigan State Spartans, 7. Wisconsin Badgers

Tier 2 — 6. USC Trojans, 5. Nebraska Cornhuskers, 4. Oregon Ducks

(Names in bold are projected starters by Phil Steele. Otherwise, names are listed in order of scoring in the talent ranking system)

Average 247 Composite Rating of Phil Steele Starter: 0.9136 (2nd)

Average # of Snaps Played by Phil Steele Starter: 735.8 (16th)

Average Career PFF grade of Phil Steele Starter: 63.4 (15th)

TOTAL OFFENSE- 1,177 (5th)

Quarterback- 159 (10th)

Starter- Mikey Keene (77)

Reserves- Bryce Underwood (58), Jadyn Davis (46), Davis Warren (41)

Michigan brought in Fresno State starter Mikey Keene through the transfer portal to be a legitimate option and a clear upgrade over any quarterback on the roster last year. But he’s almost certainly going to be the backup behind #1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood. That’s a bit of a risky proposition for Michigan though.

Between the class of 2019-24, only 9 of 26 QBs ranked a 0.98+ in the 247 Sports Composite have had at least 100 dropbacks as a true freshman. Those 9 QBs averaged throwing for a 60% completion percentage with 7.8 YPA, 1,804 pass yards, 11.7 pass TDs, 4.9 INTs, 253 rush yards, and 2.4 rush TDs across 10 games. Those numbers are bolstered by the trio of Caleb Williams, DJ Lagway, and Jayden Daniels. If Underwood is in that group then it’s fair to say he lived up to the hype. The other group that has Bo Nix, Cade Klubnik, Conner Weigman, Dante Moore, DJ Uiagalelei, and Dylan Raiola all relatively struggled early on.

Running Back- 138 (2nd)

Starter- Justice Haynes (91)

Reserves- Jordan Marshall (64), CJ Hester (61), John Volker (56), Jasper Parker (51)

Michigan lost their two primary backs from last year to the NFL draft and so needed an overhaul at the position. They brought in three transfers to take up the load led by Justice Haynes from Alabama. Haynes was an elite five-star recruit and through two seasons in Tuscaloosa ran for 608 yards (5.9 YPC) and 9 TDs. Between his pedigree and performance he profiles as a star sooner than later and has a chance to be one of the best backs in the conference. Phil Steele has him preseason 3rd team all-conference.

The other transfers are more likely to play supporting roles. CJ Hester comes in from UMass after running for 4.5 YPC while John Volker ran for 5.8 YPC in the Ivy League for FCS Princeton. Both will have better offensive lines that might boost their performance but it’s unlikely that either turns into a future draft pick. The lone returner from last year that saw any real playing time is Jordan Marshall who ran for just 3.3 YPC as the #3 back as a high four-star true freshman. We’ll see if he can make a leap as the expected backup.

Wide Receiver- 304 (9th)

Starters- Donaven McCulley (81), Semaj Morgan (74), Frederick Moore (67)

Reserves- Andrew Marsh (55), Anthony Simpson (54), Jacob Washington (54), CJ Charleston (52)

The last time Michigan had a WR taken in the 2nd round or better was Devin Funchess in 2015 and the last time they had one taken in the 1st round was Braylon Edwards in 2005. Suffice to say WR hasn’t been Michigan’s strong suit for a while and that should continue. Their top rated player is Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley but additional context means he’s probably being overrated. McCulley had 644 yards and 6 TDs while Indiana was bad but then could hardly see the field last year when they were good and overhauled the position so he opted instead to transfer midseason.

The returners Semaj Morgan and Frederick Moore were 3rd and 4th on the team in receiving yards but Michigan’s passing offense was so anemic that neither made it to even 150 yards. Both were high three-star recruits in the class of 2023 and we’ll see if they can take off with better QB play. The Huskies finished number two behind Michigan for high four-star receiver Andrew Marsh and he’ll have a chance to compete for major minutes right away. Also new on campus is UMass transfer Anthony Simpson who missed most of last year due to injury but had 801 yards the year prior.

Tight End- 103 (6th)

Starter- Hogan Hansen (61)

Reserves- Max Bredeson (57), Marlin Klein (54), Eli Owens (45), Brady Prieskorn (40)

Phil Steele lists two starters here since Michigan plays so much in 12 personnel. Gone is 1st round pick Colston Loveland so Phil Steele has the next two on the depth chart moving up to full-time starters. Bredeson is a former walk-on who is almost exclusively used as a blocker (10 catches for 121 yards over the last 3 years). The bigger receiving option was Marlin Klein who finished 5th on the team last year in receiving yards. If there’s a breakout player to watch, it’s Bellevue HS grad Hogan Hansen who was 8th on the team in receiving yards last year as a true freshman. That’s a solid trio which is better than what most teams in the conference have. But you have to squint hard to see another high draft pick here.

Offensive Line- 473 (5th)

Starters- LG Giovanni El-Hadi (83), C Greg Crippen (70), LT Evan Link (67), RT Andrew Sprague (64), Brady Norton (63)

Reserves- Andrew Babalola (58), Ty Haywood (58), Avery Gach (52), Kayden Strayhorn (46), Blake Frazier (39), RG Nathan Efobi (33)

(A note that my listed starters here are the 5 highest scorers even if some of them play the same position. If the backup right tackle has a higher rating than the starting left guard, the LG gets bumped to reserves above.)

This is a Michigan offensive line that’s relatively light on experience but is chalk full of raw talent. There are only four OL on the team to have played at least 75 career offensive snaps and one of them is FCS Cal Poly transfer Brady Norton who isn’t projected as a starter. The other 3 should make up the left side of the line. Left guard Giovanni El-Hadi is the most experienced of the bunch with 15 career starts as a former high four-star recruit and is 3rd team all-conference for Phil Steele. LT Evan Link has started 11 games while C Greg Crippen has started 8 games.

After that it takes a bit of guess work. Steele has the right side of the line as RT Andrew Sprague and RG Nathan Efobi. Sprague started the bowl game as a four-star true freshman last year but otherwise barely played. Efobi has played 2 snaps in 2 seasons at Michigan. There are young but talented options if either falter. Beyond the transfer Norton there are 5 either true or redshirt freshman that were four or five-star recruits led by elite OT Andrew Babalola who was the #3 OL in the class of 2025. I’d bet on this group coalescing into a very strong unit by the end of the year but it’s definitely possible they undergo some growing pains along the way.

Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

TOTAL DEFENSE- 1,278 (2nd)

Defensive Line- 235 (3rd)

Starters- Rayshaun Benny (88), Tre Williams (63)

Reserves- Damon Payne (63), Roderick Pierce (54), Travis Moten (50), Benny Patterson (49)

Last year Michigan was easily #1 at this spot but lost both starters, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, as early draft picks this spring. It’s a reasonably clear succession plan at the top. Rayshaun Benny was the #3 option last year and also put up elite numbers when on the field with a pressure rate of 10% at 300 pounds last year and 1 career missed tackle in 70 attempts. Phil Steele has him 2nd team all-conference.

The starting spot next to Benny is a little unsettled with two new transfers coming in who were both former elite recruits. Tre Williams started 4 games at Clemson over the past five seasons while Damon Payne started just 1 game at Alabama over the past four. It’s possible either could break out since they were playing for consistently loaded defensive lines but it’s probably we would’ve seen it by now if they were going to emerge. Roderick “Trey” Pierce is the only other returner with meaningful experience having been the #5 DT option last year.

Edge Rushers- 249 (3rd)

Starters- Derrick Moore (95), Cameron Brandt (73)

Reserves- Nathaniel Marshall (57), TJ Guy (56), Julius Holly (48), Dominic Nichols (45)

Michigan rotated heavily on the edge last year with three players between 419-480 defensive snaps and a fourth at 300. All but one is back although that one, Josiah Stewart, was their leader in sacks. Stewart though finished tied in QB pressures with Derrick Moore (albeit in ~50 fewer pass rush attempts) and Moore is now the captain of this group. The former nearly five-star recruit is a stud pass rusher and Phil Steele has him preseason 3rd team all-conference.

Also back are TJ Guy and Cameron Brandt who don’t have Moore’s pedigree and have each played at least 500 fewer snaps in their careers. Guy finished with twice as many sacks as Moore last year (6 to 3) but was quite a bit behind in total pressures (25 to 37). But he’s two years older than Brandt which is why there’s such a gap in my talent rankings. Also here is elite near-five-star recruit Nathaniel Marshall.

Linebackers- 246 (1st)

Starters- Jaishawn Barham (92), Mason Curtis (86)

Reserves- Ernest Hausman (69), Jimmy Rolder (68), Jaydon Hood (60)

Michigan landed one of the top linebackers in the portal from fellow Big Ten schools each of the previous two cycles and both are back again to help solidify Michigan as the top unit here.

Former Maryland LB Jaishawn Barham was last year’s addition where he was a top-ten overall transfer in my rankings. He put up elite run defense grades per PFF but struggled a bit in coverage. Ernest Hausman came in the previous year from Nebraska and is slightly more well-rounded and last year they finished with identical PFF grades. Phil Steele has Barham 1st team all-conference* and Hausman 2nd team.

With both starters back there’s obviously not a ton of experience elsewhere on the depth chart with 0 starts outside of Barham and Hausman. Mason Curtis played extremely well as a four-star true freshman in reserve duty last year. Steele designates Curtis as a linebacker so I have him listed here but he’s listed as a DB on the roster and played free safety last year so it’s probably more accurate to put him there. That change would drop Michigan only to 2nd so it isn’t that big of a deal in the long run. Last year’s #3 and #4 are also back so this unit is almost entirely intact from last season.

*Although Steele bizarrely includes 4 LB on each of his teams so it’s almost more difficult to not have a LB make one of his preseason all-conference teams.

Cornerbacks- 319 (3rd)

Starters- Jyaire Hill (91), TJ Metcalf (74), Zeke Berry (70)

Reserves- Caleb Anderson (57), Shamari Earls (56), Jordan Young (55), Jo’Ziah Edmond (53)

This was supposed to be a strength last year but expected #1 corner Will Johnson missed most of the year due to injury and his backups struggled. Several of them are back led by Jyaire Hill who started 9 games last year with 1 INT plus 7 PBUs to get Phil Steele to put him on his 4th team all-conference list. Zeke Berry was one of those that faltered last year but now moves from the nickel spot to the outside and we’ll see if that suits him better.

Replacing Berry as the nickel will likely be Arkansas transfer TJ Metcalf who started 11 games in the SEC. Also coming in through the portal is Louisiana transfer Caleb Anderson who has prototypical corner size (6’3, 200 lb) but with only so-so results. Four-star true freshmen Shamari Earls and Jordan Young are candidates for immediate playing time as well. The top 7 guys on the depth chart are either transfers or were 0.93+ recruits in the 247 Sports Composite.

Safeties- 229 (2nd)

Starters- Rod Moore (85), Jaden Mangham (78)

Reserves- Brandyn Hillman (77), Kainoa Winston (56), Elijah Dotson (55), Jayden Sanders (53)

I mentioned in the linebacker section that Mason Curtis should probably be here but it wouldn’t have been enough to boost Michigan to #1. They return Rod Moore this year who missed last season due to a torn ACL. He projects as a premium player if healthy and Phil Steele has him preseason 3rd team all-conference.

Jaden Mangham is likely overrated in my system since he started 12 games for their rival Michigan State then transferred last year only to not play a defensive snap. We’ll see if he can get on the field this year. Steele has Hillman as the other starter after he played the most snap of any returner at safety although that was 4th since the top three options all ran out of eligibility. A trio of four-star true freshmen follow up that group to help shore up the depth.

OVERALL TEAM- 2,455 (3rd)

It wasn’t to quite the same extent as Washington but Michigan faced a similar rebuild coming off their national title game appearance as well (albeit a win not a loss). They also had to replace their head coach with Sherrone Moore taking over for Jim Harbaugh. They also lost an absurd amount of talent to the NFL Draft. But of course they didn’t also lose a ton of guys to the portal since their coach went to the NFL not another college team and then they hired internally. So last year saw a dip to merely 8-5 with a win over the eventual national champion despite one of the worst power conference quarterback situations in the country.

Things appear to be set for a full bounce-back. Gone are another round of top draft picks like Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, and Kenneth Grant. But Michigan has done well enough restocking the cupboard that an improvement seems inevitable.

It starts of course at the quarterback position where Michigan received F-minus level play last year. Now they bring in local #1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood as the savior of the program. I detailed the history of recent elite true freshmen QBs in that section and it’s a mixed bag. But even if Underwood is more like Dylan Raiola than Caleb Williams it should still mark a major improvement over last year. They just need somewhere in the B- to C+ range to be very good and anything above that raises the ceiling from Big Ten title contender to national title contender.

I have question marks at just about every spot on the offense except running back with Justice Haynes but the answer is almost always a four-star freshman. If Michigan develops their recent top talent at even an average rate then the unit will be plenty good enough. The defense should once again be lights out as Michigan projects in my system as 3rd or better in the Big Ten in every single position group on that side of the ball. The combination of Derrick Moore and Rayshaun Benny are the highest scoring DL/ED duo in the conference and should wreck the majority of opposing offensive lines.

The schedule also sets up extremely well for the Wolverines to return to the Top 5 of the AP Poll. An early non-con test at Oklahoma is certainly no gimme and will be a major measuring test. If Michigan pulls out a win in that game though then things set up very well for them. They start out conference play versus a lot of teams in the upper-middle of the conference (at Nebraska, Wisconsin, at USC, Washington, at Michigan State). I could see a world in which Michigan has a dud and loses any single one of them but they should be favored in all of them except maybe at USC.

The back end of the schedule should be a breeze until the final weekend. A stretch of games against the bottom tier of the conference with Purdue, at Northwestern, and at Maryland roll into the rivalry contest versus Ohio State which is at home this year. I have a tough time imagining Michigan finishing worse than 10-2 and it wouldn’t shock me to see them go undefeated into the Big Ten title game with the advantage of missing both Oregon and Penn State. Missing a CFP berth would be a massive disappointment in my mind.

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Top-10 Players (with position rank and overall conference rank)

1. ED Derrick Moore, 95 (2nd, 9th)
2. LB Jaishawn Barham, 92 (2nd, 20th)
3. RB Justice Haynes, 91 (3rd, 23rd)
4. CB Jyaire Hill, 91 (3rd, 24th)
5. DL Rayshaun Benny, 88 (3rd, 38th)
6. LB/S Mason Curtis, 86 (5th, 56th)
7. S Rod Moore, 85 (8th, 59th)
8. LG Giovanni El-Hadi, 83 (7th, 71st)
9. WR Donaven McCulley, 81 (11th, 79th)
10. S Jaden Mangham, 78 (16th, 106th)

*Incoming transfer

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