Michigan football has been done with spring ball for over a month and will welcome the whole complement of the team for summer conditioning shortly. With the full freshman class and the outstanding transfer arrivals set to come to campus, preparation for the 2025 season will soon begin in earnest, with fall camp just a few months away.
There are some coaches around the Big Ten who believe that the Wolverines are better than many in the media are giving them credit for. If that’s to be the case, not only will the maize and blue have to take full advantage of the schedule laid before them, but they’ll also need several players to step up.
With that in mind, we’re taking a look at 10 players we think are poised for a breakout season in 2025, even if they’ve already had some time on task, just having taken full advantage of their roles with the team.
10. LG Giovanni El-Hadi
In 2022, a second-year player at the time, Giovanni El-Hadi started games at left guard when Trevor Keegan was injured, and the Wolverine offense didn’t miss a beat. Thus, there was a lot of excitement about him finally getting the opportunity to start last year. But, as he was playing right guard, it didn’t go as well as many had hoped.
Now, El-Hadi is moving back to the left side, and he feels like that should be a boon for him and the Michigan offensive line.
“To be good at something, I have to be consistent,” El-Hadi said. “I was pretty consistent on the left side. I did it for a lot of years. Before that, I only ever played right. When I came here, I played left. You kind of get used to it. It’s like second nature. That’s why I feel a little better on the left side.”
If the O-line is going to return to its dominant ways, it will need El-Hadi to produce. He’s been spoken about all offseason as a leader on the team and is poised to finally look the part.
9. LB Jimmy Rolder
There are a lot of breakout candidates at the linebacker position (and another one on this list) but the offseason roar about Rolder has been undeniable. Entering his fifth year, he’s struggled with injuries and has languished on the depth chart, but now he’s expected to take a big step forward.
“Yeah, Jimmy to us is another starter,” head coach Sherrone Moore said. “I feel like we got three true starters in that room with those guys, and then adding a guy like Cole Sullivan, who really can play multiple spots too, but those three, and all three of those guys are seniors, but they’re all guys that there’s many packages where they’re all three on the field at the same time, and we’re gonna feel like we’re gonna need that to win the big games.”
He’ll still be in rotation, but the coaches have gone above and beyond singing his praises and he appears to be ready to emerge on the national stage.
8. CB Jyaire Hill
‘Suga’ had both impressive moments in his sophomore campaign as well as some that were facepalm-inducing. Susceptible to double moves, Hill has the physical attributes of being a top cornerback, but some of what’s hampered him is between the ears.
He’ll be called upon to be one of the starters in 2025, he just needs to be more consistent. Still, Sherrone Moore is excited about what he brings to the table.
“Confident. Super confident,” Moore said of Hill. “Super confident in his abilities and definitely grown as a player.”
2025 could be the year that Hill emerges as a feared defensive back in the Big Ten if all goes to plan.
7. RB Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall
We couldn’t just pick one here. Expected to be co-starters, the Alabama transfer and second-year Wolverine should be a formidable duo coming out of the offensive backfield. Marshall showcased his ability in the ReliaQuest Bowl against the Crimson Tide, while Haynes didn’t have as much of an opportunity with his former team, being buried on the depth chart behind Jase McClellan, Jam Miller, and, of course, quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Given their styles of play, it could remind fans of when the Wolverines had Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum in the backfield.
“Yeah, I feel like it’s gonna be explosive and physical,” Moore said. “Justice reminds me, his running style, a little bit of Blake. I think he’s a little wider, a little bigger than Blake is. But, he’s got a lot of shoes to fill, big shoes to fill if he’s gonna play like Blake, because Blake was a legend here. But, running style’s similar, too, but a tough kid, man. Runs physical, runs hard, but has that breakaway speed to take it to the house. And Jordan’s that really — you say lightning, thunder, and lightning. They’re kind of a mix of both of them. But, Jordan’s more of the I’m gonna stick it, cram it right downhill, and be physical, and try to run you over. And it’s gonna be fun to watch them both.”
Haynes is more of a household name entering his third year, but considering that Michigan runs the ball early and often, both players should emerge onto the college football scene this year.
6. LB Jaishawn Barham
Last year, Jaishawn Barham transferred from Maryland to Michigan and was expected to dominate right away. He eventually got the hang of things, but he often ran himself right out of plays, rendering himself dispensable. However, by the season’s end, he started to look more like he was expected.
His coaches say that it just took some time for him to get the hang of a complicated defense, but once he did, he started to understand the unselfishness of the role and played within the framework of what he was being asked.
“Our success comes from our culture in this building and the way we go about our process. And sometimes that’s hard for people when they first get here,” linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary said. “And I thought he did a really, really good job, because it takes time. It takes time to really feel like you’re part of the team, no matter how talented you are or how much you bring to the table. And I thought he did a really good job.
“And as the year went on, I thought he got better and better as the season progressed, and he was more comfortable with what we were doing on defense. And he’s been lights out this spring. You can see he’s more comfortable with what we’re doing. He’s playing faster, playing physical, and it looks like he’s having a lot of fun out there.”
With that in mind, now that he’s got a year under his belt in Wink Martindale’s system, don’t be surprised if Barham starts getting a lot more national hype. He’ll rush the passer more this year, almost certainly, but unlike earlier reports, he won’t be moving to the edge.
5. RT Andrew Sprague
Already named a starter at right tackle after the spring game, the second-year offensive lineman impressed in his first showing of the year when he got the start against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Held back by injury earlier in the 2024 season, now Sprague is ready to go and should be something of a linchpin along the offensive line.
“We always thought Sprague, highly recruited guy, but had a lot of talent and back healthy,” Moore said. “He had a little bit of a knee injury early, earlier on, and that he was recovering from an ACL in high school, and he was getting back to that, feeling good. And once he felt healthy, you saw, like, OK, this dude’s really, really good. So, thought that he was mentally ready to go on there, and really didn’t phase him. As soon as we told him he’s starting, he’s like, OK, cool. I’m like, OK, great, this is a true freshman starting against Alabama, and he doesn’t even care. So, felt like we invested in the time in him, and he deserved it, and he went out there and did a heck of a job, and I think he’s put himself in a position to be that guy for the future.”
The other tackle position, likely to go to Evan Link, is still a little bit of a question mark, but given what Sprague was able to do in his one showing, that position should be in good hands.
4. S Brandyn Hillman
‘B-Hill’ quickly became a fan favorite in 2024, despite his limited playing time. His penchant for sniffing out plays and then hard-hitting quickly made him a force on the Wolverines’ defense. In the bowl game, he ratcheted it to 11.
Now expected to start at safety, he should be something of a household name. But he still has some things to improve upon.
“I think you’ve got to keep working on the little things with him in tackling circuits and things like that to make sure that he does keep his eyes up and he’s hitting people in the strike zone, which he has,” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said. “And it’s just different because the way he does it, he has that natural explosion going through whether it’s a tie down or a wide receiver or a quarterback. And I mean, he’s going to be a fun guy to watch this year as well. So we just got to keep slowing things down for him.
I think his next step is learning how to disguise coverages and things like that because he didn’t have many mental busts for us last year when he was in there. He just knew his job and lined up in it and had blinders on to everything else. So we got to expand now that he knows the system. I think he needs to know the offense and see what’s next.”
3. TE Hogan Hansen
There are some misconceptions about Chip Lindsey’s offense and his use of tight ends. The last two years at North Carolina, Lindsey had productive pass-catching tight ends, with John Copenhaver having 40 catches for 414 yards and Bryson Nesbit having 41 catches for 585 yards.
Hogan Hansen has shown flashes in the same way that Colston Loveland had in his freshman year. Entering his second year, he should be the biggest beneficiary, not only of the depth chart, but also of the offense. And to hear Hansen tell it, he’s ready to go.
“I just think probably just how dynamic it is and the creative ways we’re going to get our running backs the ball, our tight ends the ball, and just probably just how we’re going to throw it down the field,” Hansen said. “I think it’s going to be pretty cool to watch.”
While Marlin Klein returns and has been touted as the most athletic tight end on the roster, Hansen has the speed-size-hands combo that should make him a popular target of Michigan quarterbacks. Expect to hear his name early and often.
2. WR Donaven McCulley
We only got to see McCulley get one target in the spring game, which he came down with in impressive fashion. He was thus benched for the rest of the game, and quickly switched from the No. 13 to the coveted No. 1 jersey shortly after the game.
From what has been said by the coaching staff, McCulley has the look of a premier Michigan pass catcher harkening to the days of old when it was a premium position in Ann Arbor.
“Well, it would be the oldest guy. The oldest guy for us is Donaven McCulley,” wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy said. “He’s the oldest guy in the room, has the most experience. He’s played over 1,000 snaps in his college career. So, quite naturally, you would think he would be the next guy on the room and on the wall. And that’s what he’s ascending to.
“He’s on track. I’ll tell you what, he’s on track to do that. He’s got to keep attacking it and challenging himself every day, which, like I say, he’s been a great addition thus far.”
Given that the pass game should take a step forward with the updated quarterback and offensive coordinator situation, McCulley is poised to be the biggest beneficiary.
1. QB Bryce Underwood
There’s no doubt that the Michigan team needs a quarterback after a down year at the position last season. And though Underwood is only a true freshman, he has all the talent and physical tools necessary to be a factor in year one. With transfer Mikey Keene being injured all spring ball, Underwood got the inside track to starting. And should that be the case, at the most visible position on the field, he should thrive.
Even the veteran players on the other side of the ball rave about what they’ve seen from him in practice.
“Just within this short little time — part of it, I think, he already had the ability, but just him seeing it from us on a daily basis and being able to have pocket awareness, I think that’s good training and that’s what’s going to translate into the season,” fifth-year defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny said. “And, when the time comes, he’s gonna show that everything was worth it and all the work paid off. He’s just locked in on all the details, and he tries to make everything like a learning experience.”
Keene is set to return for fall camp and push Underwood — which should only serve to make him better. He’s already shown an ability to go through his progressions, step up in the pocket, and make accurate throws. Assuming he is aided by the wide receivers and gets adequate protection from the offensive line, Underwood is set to become the face of Michigan football in 2025, and could become a national star sooner than later.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football: 10 breakout players set to dominate in 2025, led by QB Bryce Underwood
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
