The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 65 Wolverines were going to "Beat Ohio or die trying" after losing the first five on his watch, and the introduction of the "Beat Ohio" drill. Bredeson only played in one game as a true freshman, but he took part in his share of what he called a "special drill" that featured inside runs in confined space. "You've got to take pride in it when you step in there," he said. "I remember fresh- man year watching [former All-American] Aidan Hutchinson setting the edge and saying, 'Oh … this is different. I need to set my mind right.' "Now, we take pride in that drill, what it means to Michigan football, what it means for that fourth quarter. Those are the ones when you've got to put the game on ice. That's what that drill is about." It's also what helped make him the player he is today, and one of the Big Ten's most feared blockers. "Whenever the team is shown differ- ent clips from games, he's always one of the clips," Michigan analyst and former running backs coach Fred Jackson said. "I don't care what the game is or who we're playing. When you show a play where a kid is finishing a drive by blocking his man to the ground. In the Alabama [2024 Rose Bowl] game, for example, the way Breddy blocked [safety] Caleb Downs — those guys wanted no part of him. They know they won't make plays when Max Brede- son gets them engaged. "Max is a dawg. To do that, first of all, you've got to be smart. You've got to know when to take something on face to face, head or body. You've got to be able to get in the right positions to block the guy. Sometimes the fullback's body is not in a good position, so the linebacker wins. He's always in great position. He's a guy that's going to be in the NFL as a fullback because people are going to want someone like that." He's also the guy everyone looks up to in the locker room, not wanting to let him down. He keeps it light and is the "friend" to everyone, but when it's time for busi- ness, he makes it clear, and everyone fol- lows his lead. "I'm vocal when I have to be," Bredeson said. "I've had the great opportunity to be around some other great leaders from my time being here. I try to take what those guys have done best and be able to have a real conversation with every person in the locker room. "I want to do whatever I can to help them … it's a culture thing. At the end of the day, this game's fun, but it's also all business. We want to win more than any- thing, but the best teams I've been on had the most fun. It's great to see guys have a laugh, but as soon as the helmet snaps on, it's business." When his snaps, someone's probably about to get hit. It's just the Bredeson way. He might not always get the recognition he deserves, but that won't stop him from coming back play after play to sacrifice his body for the program and his teammates. They'll tell you that makes him as im- portant as anyone in that locker room, a player who might not get the fanfare, but has earned something even more valuable. Their respect. ❑ Michigan's Best Blocking Fullbacks In The Fred Jackson Era Michigan analyst Fred Jackson has been around the program for the better part of four decades, joining Lloyd Carr's staff in 1992 and staying through the Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke eras. He left to coach at Ypsilanti (Mich.) High from 2015-17 before returning in 2022 as an analyst under Jim Harbaugh. Jackson called Max Bredeson one of the best fullbacks he's ever coached (or helped coach) given his all-around skill set. Here are the others he named in his top five (but in no particular order), along with his comments. Chris Floyd (1994-97): "Chris had an uncanny ability to not just block you, but he could come out of the backfield and be a receiver just like Max. But he had more of an athletic style to him, and he could run the ball. I don't know how many carries he had, but he was a pretty good tailback in high school. We groomed him, and he became a guy who could do it all. "But he wasn't like Max in terms of moving guys. Chris could do a good job positioning you, but Max will displace you to where you don't want to come back and face him again. That's the kind of guy Max is." Kevin Dudley (2001-04): "Kevin is one of the toughest I had, as tough as Max. I'll give you two examples — one, when [tailback] Chris Perry carried the ball 51 times in East Lansing [in 2003]. He had a burner in both shoulders. We didn't know this, but he kept going back out and said he wasn't hurt. He went to block a linebacker on an isolation play and threw his back and butt into the guy. That's how tough he was. He didn't want to come out of the game, and he was so physical he wouldn't leave the game. When he couldn't block you with his shoulders, he'd block you with his back. "Another was versus Ohio State and linebacker A.J. Hawk. I was walking up the tunnel, told him great game, and he told me Kevin was the toughest fullback he ever played against. Physically, he was like Max. He didn't have the swivel in the hips or the elusiveness, but he'd run downhill, knock you in the mouth, bloody your nose, come back the next day and do it again." Burnie Legette (1989-92): "He was the first guy I coached here, and he was a lot like Dudley as a blocker. We'd always run him on short-yardage plays. We'd use him as a lead blocker on other plays but run him on short yardage. … He would carry the ball and was never stopped when we needed the first down, even when everyone knew it was a running play. "He was a very physical guy, a smart guy, very talented. He knew the game and studied a lot. He was a heck of a football player." Kirk Moundros (1998-2001): "I had him for two years. He was a very, very tough kid. He was like all of them … tough as nails, tough as hell. The things they did were very unselfish. They knew they weren't going to carry the ball, but they knew if they didn't block the guy, the ball carrier wasn't going to be successful. He had the right mentality for that position." — Chris Balas Bredeson, who was voted a team captain last sea- son, is a leader whose teammates view him as an influential force in the locker room and on the field for the Wolverines. PHOTO COURTESY U-M PHOTOGRAPHY