The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 51 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL T ommy Fraumann still keeps the ticket stub in the back of his phone case. He grew up rooting for Michigan as a dou- ble legacy recruit with incredibly strong Maize and Blue roots, and he looks back on his childhood fandom fondly. The future Wolverines tackle rushed the field with his cousin in 2021 when U-M beat Ohio State for the first time in years and kept that ticket close to him. He covets the memories of the night games he spent in The Big House and his time living in Ann Arbor. Fraumann will return to those roots next year, this time as a part of the football program. "The fact that this dream of mine, playing at Michigan, is coming true is just unbelievable," Fraumann said. "Ever since I was a kid, I've had dreams of playing football there and going to the school." Michigan is firmly entrenched in his family's history. His grandparents at- tended U-M, his father, Bob, played football for the Wolverines, and his mother, Katie, was a captain of the women's basketball team. Fraumann spent the first 13 years of his life in Ann Arbor since his father was a doc- tor in the hospital there and his mother worked in the athletics department. So, when Michigan started to show increased interest this fall, that was a pretty big deal. He had committed to Miami (Ohio) earlier this year and didn't share much about his recruitment after that. The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle at- tracted interest from North Carolina, Indiana and Northwestern during his senior season. The Wolverines visited him at Wil- mette (Ill.) Loyola Academy during his junior year. Offensive line coach Grant Newsome called him Sept. 24 and let him know he was one of a few tackles on their board as they tried to fill one final spot in the class. Their relationship started to grow quickly from there. "I'd never known Coach Newsome or anything like that, but the first time he called, [he was] very respectful, an amazing human being, an awesome guy," Fraumann said. "He has built an unbelievable program at Michigan since he's been there." Michigan followed up a couple of weeks later and extended an offer. Frau- mann kept that massive news quiet. He doesn't consider himself an attention seeker and did not want to draw any un- necessary attention to his Loyola Acad- emy team. "I got the phone call, very shocked, very happy and ever since then, it's been very fun," Fraumann said. He grew up immersed in the Maize and Blue culture, so the offer immedi- ately caught his interest, but the line- man did not know he wanted to flip until he took an official visit for the Washington game Oct. 18. Newsome's development with the younger offensive tackles really stood out to him. He watched Blake Frazier step in at left tackle due to injury and play well. That next-man-up mentality left a lasting impression. "I'm a guy who needs to be coached up in so many ways," Fraumann said. "I've been looking for a coach who I feel can really coach me up and bring me to the place I want to be. He checked all those boxes for me." He left campus ready to make his co m m i t m e n t . Fra u m a n n i n fo r m e d Michigan's staff a couple of weeks later. The tackle said he's going to be "definitely a developmental player" and acknowledged the challenges that come along with needing to add about 50 pounds to his 250-pound frame this offseason. "Michigan's the best spot for me to do that," Fraumann said. Loyola Academy does not allow early graduates, so he will join Michigan in the summer. That's not stopping him from bonding with his fellow commits though. He met tight end pledge Matt Ludwig during his official visit. "Awesome guy, love him, so happy I'm going to be one of his future team- mates," Fraumann said. Michigan's commits added him to their group chat and welcomed him to the class with open arms. He always held the program in high regard as a fan. His experience as a recruit has only blown those high expectations out of the water. "It's just an awesome place," Fraumann said. "It's such a brotherhood, and it's go- ing to be absolutely amazing." ❑ Illinois OL Tommy Fraumann Is A Third-Generation U-M Legacy PLAYER EVALUATION STRENGTHS: On tape, Fraumann is raw, but you can see the frame and upside. He does play with some physicality and is well coached. Loyola is one of the better programs in the Chicago area, so he plays quality competition. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Fraumann is on the lighter side, but it looks like he can carry plenty of weight. I would expect him to easily play north of 300 pounds by the time he's ready to see the field. It's pretty obvious that Fraumann is a project take. It wouldn't be surprising to see him work in the strength and con- ditioning program and learn for at least three years. Right now, I project him as a depth piece with the potential to start late depending on his development. MICHIGAN PLAYER COMPARISON: A tall, towering tackle, Fraumann plays with a mean streak but is raw and will need to be developed over the next few years. He shares a lot of similarities with former Michigan tackle Jeff Persi, who served as a depth piece before transfer- ring to Pitt. Persi played in 41 games and started three at Michigan before moving on. Fraumann could follow a similar ca- reer trajectory. — EJ Holland Fraumann grew up immersed in the Maize and Blue culture. His father, Bob, played football for the Wolverines, and his mother, Katie, was a captain of the women's basketball team. PHOTO BY ETHAN MCDOWELL