Michigan’s 2025 season is almost officially here, as the Wolverines are set to square off with New Mexico this (yes, THIS) Saturday at 7:30 in the Big House. An offseason full of both excitement and questions is about to come to an end, and with that we’ll take a final stab at answering some of those questions with our final depth chart prediction based on what we’ve head throughout fall camp.
For right now, we’ll only take a look at the offense, but check back in later today when we look at the defense.
Without any further ado, let’s get into it.
Quarterback
Starter: Bryce Underwood
Depth: Jadyn Davis, Mikey Keene, Jake Garcia, Davis Warren
Fans have probably been expecting this one since about the end of November last year when Bryce Underwood announced his commitment to Michigan. The 18-year old is going to enter rare territory on Saturday when he starts for the Wolverines in the season opener as a true freshman. Are there going to be some growing pains throughout the year? More than likely. But still, Underwood’s talent and dual-threat ability are undeniable even at his age – make no mistake, the best version of Michigan in 2025 includes the freshman leading the offense.
There might have been some more of a debate for the starting spot had Mikey Keene been healthy all offseason, but since he hasn’t been, it appears he’ll even be behind sophomore. Jadyn Davis on the depth chart to open the season. Further down the depth chart, Jake Garcia was brought in over the summer from East Carolina and isn’t likely to factor into the equation much this year. Neither will last year’s starter Davis Warren, as he’s still recovering from a knee injury suffered in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Running Back
Starters: Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes
Depth: Bryson Kuzdzal, Micah Ka’apana, Jasper Parker, John Volker, Donovan Johnson
Despite losing Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings to the NFL this offseason, the Wolverines are still in a great place in their running back room. Jordan Marshall – an exciting and explosive sophomore, and Justice Haynes – a bruising transfer from Alabama, will likely get an even split of the carries at the top of the depth chart. Both could make an impact in the receiving game as well, which is something that’s reportedly been more of a focus in the new Chip Lindsey offense.
Further down the pecking order, running backs Bryson Kuzdzal and Micah Ka’apana have been getting some buzz during fall camp. Ka’apana was a big name that Michigan recruited during the 2024 recruiting cycle, while Kuzdzal is a bit of a lesser-known junior. He did impress in the spring game with over 100 yards on the ground, so it would appear he’s carried his momentum into the fall.
Michigan did add a player from the transfer portal in John Volker from Princeton who could also be in the running for snaps, while true freshman Jasper Parker has also been making a good impression. It doesn’t seem like either of them – or Donovan Johnson – will be in line for a major role right away.
Wide Receiver
Starters: Donaven McCulley, Semaj Morgan, Channing Goodwin
Depth: Fred Moore, Andrew Marsh, Anthony Simpson, Peyton O’Leary, Jamar Browder, Kendrick Bell, I’Marion Stewart
There are about a billion combinations we could go with for who will start at receiver this year, and in reality all of these players will see the field a decent amount. The one thing that seems like a certainty though is that Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley is the top dog in the group. He didn’t play much for the Hoosiers last year, but was productive back in 2023 and looks like the clear center of the passing game with his 6-foot-5 frame, jump ball skills, and downfield ability.
Behind McCulley, we’ll likely see Semaj Morgan return to his role as a a slot receiver where he showed flashes as a freshman back in 2023. Hopefully getting the ball in his hands close to the line of scrimmage will allow him to showcase his speed and shiftiness to pick up chunks of yards for the offense. Sophomore Channing Goodwin was a bit of a surprise name that was mentioned during Sherrone Moore’s presser on Monday, as it sounds like he’ll be the No. 3 receiver to open the year.
With Goodwin climbing the depth chart, it would appear that junior Fred Moore will be the top depth option – a bit of a surprise as he was projected to be a starter for much of the offseason. Freshman Andrew Marsh is also an explosive playmaker that could get more involved as we get into the later weeks of the season. On Monday, Moore confirmed that Marsh would be the primary kick returner to open the year. Transfer portal addition Anthony Simpson could make an impact as a slot receiver as well, while spring game legend Peyton O’Leary is one of the more reliable veteran depth options.
Tight End
Starter: Marlin Klein, Max Bredeson (H-back)
Depth: Hogan Hansen, Zack Marshall, Jalen Hoffman, Deakon Tonielli, Brady Prieskorn
If there’s one position that seems like it could change the most throughout the course of the season, it’s tight end. Entering Week 1, it feels logical to put senior Marlin Klein ahead of the pack, but he’s certainly not the only one that will be getting opportunities in the passing game.
For Klein, he’s yet to put it all together in his Michigan career, but that’s in large part to the massive role that Colston Loveland has played over the last two years. Klein has all the athleticism in the world to thrive as TE1, but sophomore Hogan Hansen has been a player that many folks are high on and for good reason. We’ll have to see how much he eats into the workload as the year progresses.
Of course, Max Bredeson will reprise his role as the starting H-back, and he’ll be backed up likely by Jalen Hoffman. Don’t underestimate the chance for Hoffman to play a role in the passing game though, as he logged over 100 yards receiving in the spring game and looked like natural in that part of his game.
Offensive Line
Starters: Evan Link (LT), Giovanni El-Hadi (LG), Greg Crippen (C), Brady Norton (RG), Andrew Sprague (RT)
Depth: Blake Frazier (T), Nathan Efobi (G), Lawrence Hattar (G), Jake Guarnera (G/C), Ty Haywood (T), Avery Gach (T), Kaden Strayhorn (G/C)
Michigan got some brutal news last week when Andrew Babalola reportedly suffered a season-ending knee injury. The hype around Babalola had been building all offseason long, and it appeared he had a real shot at winning the left tackle job.
With Babalola now out of the picture, it’ very likely that Evan Link and Andrew Sprague are the starters at the tackle spots. Blake Frazier has reportedly looked good during fall camp, so it wouldn’t be a huge shock if we see him on the field at some point, whether it be at tackle or guard. Brady Norton could also provide some depth at tackle, but he’s already been confirmed as a starter at right guard.
Speaking of the interior, left guard and center are two spots that have pretty much been locked up all offseason. Greg Crippen returns after starting at center last year, while Giovanni El-Hadi ia back at his natural left guard spot after moving to the right side last year.
Right guard is where things get a bit more interesting. Brady Norton was confirmed as the starter there during Sherrone Moore’s press conference on Monday, but he wasn’t favored to be the starter during much of the offseason. Nathan Efobi was long seen as the guy there, but it sounds like he’ll open the year as one of the top depth options instead. Lawrence Hattar could factor into the equation for snaps at either guard spot throughout the year, as he was a top performer during camp, as was Jake Guarnera – who could play guard or center.
