The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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S P E C I A L I S T S THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 113 arrived via the portal from Texas State, is Kornblue's nephew. A soccer stand- out redirected into football by concus- sion issues in his main sport, Sunderland got into two games for the Bobcats last season, averaging 66.3 yards per boot on eight kickoffs. Six of those went for touchbacks, and he also made his only extra-point attempt. Sunderland is expected to start out at Michigan as a kickoff specialist and backup punter. "He's an incredible kid," Kornblue noted. "He was 17, the youngest signed player in FC Cincinnati history, as a goalie. He comes from a soccer family — his dad played professional soccer and his mom played college soccer and works for U.S. Soccer. His older brother played with [Lionel] Messi for three years. It's soccer everywhere. That was his life. Then that got taken away from him with some concussions." He got his chance at Texas Tech when the placekicker skipped the bowl game on his way to becoming an Indiana Hoosier. That opened the doors for Sunderland, who gets to try a much larger stage at his uncle's school. "Here's an opportunity for him to do something even bigger," Kornblue said. "That's what Michigan was looking for — a kickoff guy to replace [departed spe- cialist] Tommy Doman. The spot opened up, with Adam Samaha leaving and with Doman leaving. You're not just bring- ing in anybody, because most kickoff guys want to be the field goal guy, too, if they're at the Michigan level. "He's a Midwest kid, and Michigan was just the right fit. Being older and more mature than a high school senior or younger college transfer, he is the right fit for the room. If he isn't the starting field goal guy, he's not going to throw a fit and disrupt the chemistry of the room. "He's super talented, super strong and a super hard worker. He's going in for the opportunity to be the kickoff guy, but he's going to push Dom. He's not just go- ing to give him the job. "It's Dom's job to lose. There's no sur- prise about that to anybody. But he's go- ing to be right there, pushing. Ideally, he could be the guy for the following season. It's a great opportunity for him, and a great fit for what Michigan was looking for. It's going to be good." Michigan appears to be counting on senior Hudson Hollenbeck to make the punting good. Hollenbeck, formerly at Mississippi State, made his Michigan debut at punter in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama. He punted six times for an average of 46.2 yards per attempt. He also got into two games in 2024 as a holder. "Hollenbeck is the favorite," Kornblue commented. "Talent-wise, he has the ability to be the guy. Consistency has re- ally been the biggest key to being a Big Ten punter. He's the frontrunner right now. But that will be a competition that will go into fall camp and Week 1." Hollenbeck's competition is in the form of Missouri transfer Luke Bauer, who posted a 41.8-yard average on 49 punts with the Tigers last season, which ranked eighth in the Southeastern Con- ference. While Zvada gets all the headlines, two individuals will be particularly crucial in his continued success. Michigan will fea- STARTERS ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Michigan features one of the leading Lou Groza Award candidates in the nation in senior placekicker Dominic Zvada. The transfer came in last season and absolutely lit it up, making all but one of his 22 field goal attempts, for a success percentage of 95. Beyond that, he blew away the Michigan record for 50-yard field goals made in a season, with seven at or beyond that range. At the same time, Michigan stands relatively unproven at punter and placekick holder, with senior Hudson Hollenbeck or grad transfer Luke Bauer looking to take the reins from de- parted veteran Tommy Doman, who moved to the University of Florida via the transfer portal. U-M's long snapping should be in good hands, with grad Greg Tarr having worked at it extensively behind the scenes. Sophomore tailback Jordan Marshall could be explosive as a kick returner, while junior Semaj Morgan is a known presence at returning punts. There's excellence at the top, but more to prove. DEPTH ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Here's where it gets a little dicey, at least early on. Transfer punter Luke Bauer from Missouri wasn't on hand for spring ball (he committed April 18, one day before the Michigan spring game) and there's been some talk he may not wind up in a Michigan uniform. Senior Beckham Sunderland came in from Texas State, as a backup placekicker and possible punter, but he's a former soc- cer player relatively new to college football. The Wolverines feature plenty of perform- ers who can return kicks and punts, but it re- mains to be seen how the backups perform in this situation. OVERALL ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Zvada gives Michigan a chance to score, almost any time it reaches the other team's 40-yard line. That's bigger than any of the deficits the Wolverines might anticipate on special teams. But all areas of this segment of the game matter, and there are definitely questions to be answered in a year in which the defense and special teams hope to give Michigan's offense time to develop. Zvada became one of the Wolverines' greatest recruiting victories in his retention, but he can't be The Lone Ranger when it comes to these units. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR Michigan's longest punt return last sea- son was a 22-yarder by junior wide receiver SEMAJ MORGAN, and the Wolverines haven't returned one for a touchdown since A.J. Henning versus UConn in 2022. Michigan is looking for more explosive plays for the unit, and aiding in field position will be key for an offense that struggled last season and has young pieces in 2025. Morgan has the tools and figures to be a big piece this fall. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL