The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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T I G H T E N D S 68 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Jalen Hoffman Serves Notice — He'll Be A Factor In The Tight End Room In a low-scoring, 17-0 Blue win over the Maize team in the Michigan spring game, there was little doubt who the MVPs were. With most of the starters limited, if they played at all, junior running back Bryson Kuzdzal (104 yards rushing for the Maize team) and classmate Jalen Hoff- man (148 receiving for the Blue) made the most of their opportunities. Neither performance guarantees success in Big Ten play, of course. Fall Saturdays are a different animal, and there's still plenty to prove. At the same time, they showed some skills that could translate, Hoffman especially demonstrating his worth with some tough catches in traffic and impressive speed. "Jalen has really picked up his game, and he's really changed his body and done different things," head coach Sherrone Moore said in naming Hoffman the unofficial game MVP. "I think he's about 245 pounds. He's a super athletic kid with great ball skills and hands, and a guy we definitely look forward to watching in the season." His emergence really started last fall, when those who spoke about him seemed legitimately impressed with his progress. Tight ends coach Steve Casula initially brought him up as a player poised to make a move, and graduate senior captain Max Bredeson let everyone know his backup was being groomed for the position. Even so, Hoffman only played in two games at H-back, seeing time on special teams in the other 11. Bredeson had the position locked down, and the captain's return means Hoffman could have to wait until next season to really emerge in that role. But he might not have to wait as long to see the field in a pass-catching tight end role. He humbly agreed he might have been the steal of the spring game draft, also making it clear he had high expectations of himself. "No, not really," Hoffman said when asked if he surprised himself. "I just keep practicing, and I knew what the game plan was. I felt confident going into the game. We have a deep tight end room. Every day you have to battle to carve out a role for yourself. "We want the pass game to come through the tight ends. We want the ball. We want to be able to make plays." He did that and then some this spring, showing he might be ready for more time. Like Brede- son, he's not the typical former walk-on. His teammates said before the game they were eager to see how he'd contribute on the big stage given how good he'd been this spring, and they weren't all that surprised. "You saw Hoffman," sophomore running back Jordan Marshall said. "They put him out there, and he balled out. The only tight end on the blue team, and he did his thing. "When you're thrown out there, that's how you find out if you're a dawg — and that's a dawg." One whose quest for more playing time may be realized this fall. — Chris Balas POSITION COACH Steve Casula is entering his second season as Michigan's tight ends coach and first as the team's co-offensive coordina- tor, following two years of co- ordinating the UMass offense under head coach Don Brown, U-M's former defensive coordinator (2016-20). Casula was an offensive analyst at U-M from 2019-21. Casula's first season coaching a position group in Ann Arbor included a starring role for Colston Loveland, who finished the year with 56 catches for 582 yards and 5 touchdowns, leading the team in receiving in every game he played. Loveland became the Wolverines' first non- quarterback skill player to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in two decades (2005, WR Braylon Edwards), going No. 10 over- all to the Chicago Bears in 2025. Casula worked with All-Independent Wide Re- ceiver of the Year Anthony Simpson (now with U-M) and running back Kay'Ron Adams, who ranked in the top 30 in the FBS in both yards (1,157) and touchdowns (12) on 236 carries at Massachusetts. The 36-year-old has spent 12 years coaching in the state of Michigan, also making stops at Western Michigan (graduate assistant, 2010-11; tight ends/fullbacks, 2012), Davenport (2014- 16) and Ferris State (2017-18), serving as of- fensive coordinator at the latter two programs. He also worked at Colgate (tight ends/fullbacks, 2013-14) and got his start in coaching as a stu- dent assistant at Delaware from 2008-09. The Wilmington, Del., native earned a bach- elor's degree from the University of Delaware in 2009 and a master's degree from Western Michigan in 2011. RETURNING PLAYERS MAX BREDESON • TE/FB Gr. • Hartland, Wis. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 240 • Team captain in 2024. • Played 13 games with 6 starts at fullback, catching 3 passes for 24 yards. • Saw action in all 15 games in the 2023 na- tional championship season, notching three starts at tight end/H-back and recording 2 receptions for 19 yards. • Named U-M's Most Improved Player on of- fense in 2023. • A former walk-on who earned a scholarship before the 2023 season. • Appeared in all 14 games at tight end and special teams with one start in 2022. Logged 5 catches for 78 yards, including a 56-yard reception from Davis Warren versus Hawai'i. • Competed in one game in 2021. ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR Often labeled as the heir apparent to Max Bredeson, junior JALEN HOFFMAN turned in a spring game performance that showed off a little more pass-catching ability than his mentor. The junior tight end/fullback had 7 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown while linking up with freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, which might signal a growing connection between the two. If he can carry that into fall camp, there might be a bigger role in store for a guy who has been working hard behind the scenes. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL