The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL 1. Junior DT Mason Graham: Michigan's first unanimous All-American at defensive tackle since Mark Messner in 1988, the 6-foot-3, 320-pound Graham is one of the best at the position in program history. He totaled 45 tackles, including 7 for loss and 3.5 sacks, with 1 pass breakup. Great defensive tackles take on double teams, eat up space and make plays against the run, but elite ones can also rush the passer. Put Graham in that category — with his 33 quarterback pressures tied for ninth nationally among defensive tackles. He upped his game from an already high level in 2024, especially in the big moments. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native recorded 6 tackles, 1 sack and 3 pressures against USC, and he had 3 stops, a tackle for loss and 3 pressures against Michigan State. Perhaps his best career outing, though, came in his last game in a winged helmet. The superstar notched a career-high 7 tackles, including 5 solo stops. His 7 tackles went for the following Ohio State gains: 0, 1, 2, 2, 1, 3 and 0 yards. Without loading the box, Graham and Co. held the Buckeyes to just 77 rushing yards on 26 attempts, their second-lowest total of the season, a key in the Wolverines pulling off the 13-10 upset as 19.5-point underdogs. Graham left Michigan with two Big Ten championships, a national title and three straight victories over Ohio State, including two in Columbus. 2. Graduate RB Kalel Mullings: The 6-foot-2, 233-pound converted linebacker finally got his opportunity as a featured back in 2024 and delivered tremendous results. In 12 games, Mullings accumulated 948 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 185 carries, adding 35 yards on 6 catches. A physical runner, Mullings racked up 657 of his rushing yards, or 3.55 per carry, after contact, and he forced 37 missed tackles, according to PFF. There's no question Mullings was one of the most valuable players on the team, given how clutch he was in big moments. Michigan likely doesn't beat USC (159 yards, 2 touch- downs) or Minnesota (111 yards, 2 scores) without Mull- ings' running ability. He not only dashed 53 yards for a score in the first quarter of a 27-24 victory over the Trojans, but he darted 63 yards on third-and-1 from his own 20-yard line to set up his own 1-yard score on fourth down with 37 seconds remaining. Mullings carried the team against Ohio State, as well. With senior running back Donovan Edwards out with an injury in the second half, he helped the Wolverines possess the football for more than 13 minutes in the fourth quarter, playing through multiple injuries himself. Perhaps the defining moment of Mullings' career was his third-and-6 run for 27 yards, using an extra effort to shake would-be tacklers and keeping the drive alive to set up the winning field goal. He also scored the team's lone touchdown earlier in the game. 3. Senior EDGE Josaiah Stewart: Undersized, but not outmanned. The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder is one of the Wolverines' most valuable transfer pickups in recent history, and he took his game to another level as a senior in 2024. In a unique move, Stewart was awarded captainship halfway through the season, after he had emerged as a leader on the defense. That marked quite the journey from Coastal Carolina transfer to U-M captain. A starter for the first time in a winged helmet in 2024, Stewart posted 33 tackles and led the team with 13 stops for loss and 8.5 sacks. He also forced 2 fumbles, both of which were recovered by the Wolverines. Stewart paced the Maize and Blue with 37 pressures, tied for seventh among Big Ten edge rushers. 4. Junior TE Colston Loveland: While he missed three games, Loveland recorded more than double the next-best Michigan receiver in the following four categories: targets (82), receptions (56), receiving yards (582) and touchdown catches (5). The Maize and Blue had a very limited passing game, ranking 131st nation- ally and last in the Big Ten with 129.1 yards per contest. Those numbers would have been even worse had the quarterbacks not had a reliable target to throw to in Loveland. The Gooding, Idaho, native notched 3 or more grabs in every game that he played and went over 50 yards receiving in five. That included a 7-catch, 112- yard performance against Oregon and a 6-reception, 67-yard, 2-touchdown outburst in the win over Michigan State. 5. Junior DT Kenneth Grant: The 6-foot-3, 339-pound mammoth broke out in 2024 and was named sec- ond-team All-Big Ten and a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. The Merrillville, Ind., native recorded 32 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and 3 sacks, adding 27 quarterback pressures. Grant really got after the passer in key contests, combining for 9 pres- sures in wins over USC (4) and Minnesota (5), notching 4 against Michigan State and putting up 5 in the triumph over the Buckeyes. Grant also had a five-game stretch with 1 tackle for loss each week, plus he finished out the season with 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in the last two outings. — Clayton Sayfie Five Best Players Of Michigan's Season Graduate running back Kalel Mullings rushed for 948 yards and 12 touchdowns, averag- ing 5.1 yards per carry in 2024. Pro Football Focus calculated that 69 percent of his yards came after contact. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL