The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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40 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL Jeremy Bennett and the Den- ver (Colo.) Mullen High coach- ing staff leave the team captain selection up to their athletes. All varsity team members have a say. Before his senior season, Michigan tight end signee Ma- son Bonner received every single vote from his peers. He's a 6-foot-7, 225-pound tight end prospect. Bonner played both sides of the ball for Mullen and spent most of his time on offense lined up out- side as a receiver. The mismatch nightmare helped lead his high school squad on a deep playoff run last season. "We all know he's big and long and runs routes like a 5-9 slot receiver," Bennett said. "He does all those things, but it was his leadership this year. It was him not letting our team fall to the wayside when there was adversity. "His leadership and the example he set, not only verbally but by his ac- tions, was tremendous for our program this year and helped us turn the corner and make a run into the quarterfinals." Bonner is a "ferocious" blocker who also played defensive end and showed an eagerness to improve. Bennett said the tight end was extremely hard on himself but not to the point where he becomes his own worst enemy. He wasn't afraid to fail, identified mistakes, formulated a plan and then never made those errors again. "He's just a hell of a kid who cares about people around him, and he wouldn't let us fail," Ben- nett said. The future Wolverine's re- cruitment really heated up af- ter his junior season. Michi- gan joined the mix and quickly emerged as one of the teams to beat alongside Minnesota. He valued relationships during the recruiting process but didn't enjoy the attention. Bonner is humble and doesn't take anything for granted, his coach explained. They had to almost beg him to post updates on his recruit- ment to social media. "He's very authentic," Bennett said. "He was very loyal." That loyalty showed up during Michigan's coaching change. Bonner is not an early enrollee, so he had plenty of time to think through the decision. His father, Sherdrick, was a former NFL and Arena League quarterback, and his mother, Lindsay, played soccer at an All-America level at Nebraska. They're both elite athletes who were familiar with the recruiting process. When Bennett asked him what he wanted to do in his recruitment, Bon- ner made it clear that, as long as the new staff wanted him, he planned on joining the Wolverines. "He has not stepped foot as a stu- dent on the Michigan campus, but his comment to me was, 'Coach, I'm a Michigan man,'" Bennett said. Michigan visited him at his school in January, and he remains locked in. Bonner will join the program in June aer wrapping up his senior basketball season and graduating from Mullen. "He's chomping at the bit to get there and get with his teammates," Bennett said. ❑ Tight End Mason Bonner Was A Strong Leader For His Prep Team As a senior, Bonner posted 47 catches for 767 yards and 6 touch- downs, earning Colorado 5A All-State first-team honors in 2025. PHOTO BY ETHAN MCDOWELL MASON BONNER TIGHT END 6-7 • 225 MULLEN HIGH LAKEWOOD, COLO. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪ 554 32 5 ✪✪✪ — 29 6 ✪✪✪ — 43 7 ✪✪✪ — 19 6 STATISTICS Year Rec. Yds. TD 2025 47 767 6 2024 — injured — 2023 33 617 8 2022 2 21 0 HONORS • Earned PrepStar All-Central Region honors as a senior. • Named Colorado 5A All-State first-team as a senior (2025). • Honorable mention all-state as a junior (2024). RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan May 22, 2025. • Picked U-M over notable offers from Nebraska, Miami and Washington. DID YOU KNOW? • Led Mustangs to an 8-5 mark as a senior in 2025 and the Colorado Class 5A state quarterfinals. • Two-way player who made 32 tackles as a defensive end, with 8.5 for loss and 5 sacks, 4 pass breakups and a forced fumble in senior season. • Also lettered in basketball. • Son of Sherdrick and Lindsay Bonner. • Father, Sherdrick, played at Cal State North- ridge (1991), in the NFL (1995-99) and in the Arena Football League (1993-95, '98, 2000-08). • Sherdrick was a two-time Arena Bowl cham- pion (1994, '97), AFL Hall of Famer (2012). • Born March 13, 2008. THEY SAID IT Rivals Director Of Scouting And Rankings Charles Power: "Bonner is a tall, athletic pass- catching tight end. A guy who needs to continue growing into his body, but he certainly has the movement skills and also has the ball skills as well that you covet in a tight end who you want to cre- ate a mismatch in the passing game." 2026 PROJECTION Bonner will need to add weight at the college level and will likely redshirt after arriving on cam- pus in the summer. He's a high-upside pass catcher who could be a big-time playmaker at the college level in a year or two.