The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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18 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2025 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan lost plenty of talent, especially de- fe n s ive ly, f ro m l a s t year's 8-5 team, but the Wolverines are hardly bereft of tal- ent. There were young players waiting in the wings and some of them, along with veterans who have waited their turns, are in position to take their games to another level this fall. Here are 10 players ready to make a big leap in 2025 and what we've picked up from camp: 10. HOGAN HANSEN, SO., TE We haven't heard much on the sopho- more given he was banged up in spring and underwent surgery, but some be- lieve he'll be the best pass-catching tight end on the team. It appears he's healing more quickly than expected, and the hope is he'll be back at some point in September healthy and ready to go. Hansen caught 7 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown a year ago as a true freshman, including a few chain mov- ers. He's got the makeup of a former Michigan great tight end according to Jon Jansen, who played with him on the 1997 national championship team. "He's like [former All-American] Jerame Tuman, just because of his body type," Jansen said. "He doesn't have the same height and wingspan as a Colston Loveland, but neither did Jerame. Jerame was fast, and he was just so good at finding ways to get open and under- standing defenses. "I saw Hogan last year as a freshman just really understand the game, and some of it's a feel. Some guys just have that innate sense of where all 11 guys are, or at least where seven guys are in the secondary." 9. JADEN MANGHAM, SR., S The Michigan State transfer was side- lined almost all last season after an hon- orable mention All-Big Ten year with the Spartans in 2023. He's been a stand- out through the first weeks of fall camp and is ready to contribute. "He had an injury last year," second- ary coach LaMar Morgan said. "That's part of life. He had some adversity, and I think it made him grow. He's been a great surprise. I'm a big fan of him. He's definitely going to be helping us Week 1, first quarter, and he's going to be a real guy for us." The goal is to be the player he was in East Lansing and then some. "I think he has some range," Morgan added. "I tell him he's got to get back to an All-Big Ten type player. He did it at the other school [MSU]. That's some- thing I'm really excited about." 8. COLE SULLIVAN, SO., LB Sullivan played sparingly as a true freshman but he shined on special teams from Day 1 on campus and can line up in a variety of ways. Some believe he will become a valuable pass rusher in ad- dition to his other duties at linebacker. "Cole Sullivan — this is a guy that con- tinues to climb, that continues to make an impact," head coach Sherrone Moore said. "I really feel good about that. "He was probably a guy that people weren't talking about. He's a younger guy, but he's a guy that's really stood out, and he's very multiple, doing dif- ferent things." 7. FREDRICK MOORE, JR., WR Moore caught 11 passes for 128 yards last year and showed up in the Relia- Quest Bowl win over Alabama with 3 receptions for 37 yards and a touch- down. He came back stronger and ready to make an impact in 2025. He could be BREAKING OUT Ten Players Expected To Elevate Their Games This Year In Bigger Roles With Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings opting out of the ReliaQuest Bowl game against Alabama last season, then true freshman Jordan Marshall stepped in at running back, gained 100 yards on 23 carries and was named the contest's MVP. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN