The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
T I G H T E N D S THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 69 POSITION COACH The brother of head coach Kyle Whittingham, Freddie Whittingham is entering his first season at Michigan, after 14 years at Utah. He was tight ends coach and recruiting co- ordinator from 2016-25 follow- ing a run as director of player personnel from 2012-15. Whittingham sent five tight ends to the NFL, including two that were draft picks in Dalton Kincaid (first round to the Buffalo Bills in 2023) and Caleb Lohner (seventh round to the Denver Broncos in 2025). A Utah tight end has caught at least one pass in 108 of the last 109 games under Whitting- ham's leadership. In 2025, the tight ends ac- counted for 88 receptions for 1,153 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Provo, Utah, native attended BYU, where he played running back and was a team cap- tain. Prior to entering the coaching profession, Whittingham spent nearly two decades at Mc- Graw-Hill and Simon & Schuster as a sales and marketing executive in the higher education publishing industry. RETURNING PLAYERS HOGAN HANSEN • TE Jr. • Bellevue, Wash. Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 240 • Redshirted while dealing with injuries throughout the 2025 campaign, appearing in four contests. • Recorded 6 catches for 74 yards, playing against Oklahoma, Central Michigan, USC and Texas. • Appeared in 10 games in 2024, catching 7 passes for 78 yards and 1 touchdown, a 9-yard grab in the end zone against Arkansas State. • Named U-M's Rookie of the Year on offense in 2024. • Helped Bellevue (Wash.) High win Division 3A state titles as a sophomore in 2021 (14-0 record) and as senior in 2023 (11-2) • First-team all-state pick by SBLive and King County 3A Defensive MVP in 2023. • Hauled in 11 receptions for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns as a senior, also carried 8 times for 121 yards and 2 scores. Made 44 tackles, including 11 for loss and 6 sacks, on defense. • Regarded as a four-star recruit, the No. 327 player and No. 22 tight end nationally, and the No. 5 prospect in Washington, per the Rivals Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2024 10/0 7 78 11.1 1 2025 4/0 6 74 12.3 0 Total 14/0 20 152 11.7 1 JALEN HOFFMAN • TE Sr. • Burke, Va. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 245 • Competed in all 13 outings on offense and special teams in 2025, registering 1 tackle. • His 78.3 PFF run-blocking rat- ing checked in tied ninth among FBS tight ends with 50-plus snaps. • Played in all 13 games with two appearances on offense in 2024, after redshirting with one game appearance in 2023. • Attended Lake Braddock Secondary School, where he was a team captain in 2022. • Had 52 catches for 835 yards and 8 touch- downs in junior and senior seasons combined. ZACK MARSHALL • TE Sr. • Carlsbad, Calif. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 245 • Played in all 13 clashes with three starts in 2025, hauling in 16 catches for 199 yards and 1 touchdown. • In 2024, suited up for 13 games on special teams, making 1 tackle; also played four games at tight end. • Appeared in two games at tight end and one on special teams as a freshman in 2023. • Competed his senior season at Carlsbad High after playing wide receiver at Santa Fe Chris- tian as sophomore and junior. • Named tight end MVP during the 2022 Elite 11 Camp. • Recorded 23 catches for 284 yards and 5 touchdowns in his senior campaign at Carls- bad High after sitting out first four games due to transfer rules. • Caught 44 passes for 1,012 yards and 9 touchdowns during junior season at Santa Fe Christian. • Ranked No. 528 overall and No. 26 among tight ends in the 2023 class, checking in as a three-star recruit per the Rivals Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2023 2/0 0 0 0 0 2024 13/0 0 0 0 0 2025 13/3 16 199 12.4 1 Total 28/3 16 199 12.4 1 ELI OWENS • TE So. • Alcoa, Tenn. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 244 • Saw time in two games as a freshman in 2025, maintain- ing his redshirt. • Attended Alcoa High in Ten- nessee, which won state championships each season Owens played. • Posted 315 receiving yards with 4 touchdowns in 2024, and also added 53 tackles, 12.5 tack- les for loss, a sack, 8 pressures, 2 passes de- fended and a blocked punt. • Had 35 catches for 415 yards and 8 touch- downs as a junior in 2023. • Three-star prospect, No. 34 tight end in the country and No. 20 player in Tennessee, per Rivals Industry Ranking. DEAKON TONIELLI • TE Sr. • Oswego, Ill. Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 246 • Played in all 13 outings in 2025, making two starts at tight end and hauling in 8 re- ceptions for 72 yards. • Named Michigan's Most Improved Player on Special Teams and posted 2 tackles in 2025. • Did not play in any games his freshman or sophomore seasons. • Attended Oswego High, catching 42 passes for 550 yards and 5 TDs during his senior season. • Caught 32 passes for 385 yards with 2 touch- downs during his junior campaign. • Four-star prospect ranked as the 23rd-best tight end in the 2023 cycle per the Rivals In- dustry Ranking. Year GP/GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2023 0/0 0 0 0 0 2024 0/0 0 0 0 0 2025 13/2 8 72 9.0 0 Total 13/2 8 72 9.0 0 NEWCOMER MASON BONNER • TE Fr. • Lakewood, Colo. Ht.: 6-7 • Wt.: 225 • Caught 47 passes for 767 yards and 6 touchdowns as a senior at Mullen High School. On defense, he added 32 tackles with 8.5 for loss and 5 sacks, 4 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble. • The three-star recruit was rated the No. 555 overall player and No. 32 tight end in the na- tion, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. THEY SAID IT "Play-action pass is where tight ends really eat in the passing game — that's going to be the core of what we do." — Tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham