100. OL Brooks Bahr (RS So.): Bahr is now listed at a respectable 6'5" and 319 pounds, but over two seasons at Michigan, he has yet to see the field. He came in as an oversized defensive end and switched to offensive line last year, so he's bound to take some time to adjust to that side of the ball. With some highly touted freshmen coming in, a couple transfers, and the other returning players, it's unlikely that Bahr will play a role in 2025 unless he's part of the field goal protection unit. Last year's rank: #81.
99. DT Ted Hammond (RS Fr.): Hammond, much like Bahr, came in as a jumbo defensive end who looked like a tweener on the defensive line. That's still the case now that he's listed at 6'5" and 282 pounds, because he's not athletic enough to play an edge role but he's probably still too light to play on the interior. He probably needs another year or two of development, along with some of the older defensive tackles to depart. Last year's rank: #106.
98. S Jordan Young (Fr.): Young (4-star, #4 ATH, #120 overall) was a late recruiting win for Michigan as the Wolverines flipped him from Clemson. He could potentially play nickel even though he was ranked as a safety, but it's tough for a freshman defensive back to come in and play early with the complicated defense that Wink Martindale runs. He's probably a few spots down on the depth chart going into the season.
97. LS Evan Boutorwick (RS Jr.): Boutorwick has spent three seasons in Ann Arbor and has yet to see the field. The obvious mitigating factor is that he has had William Wagner and Greg Tarr ahead of him, both of whom have been good players. Boutorwick threw his name in the transfer portal this off-season, perhaps in anticipation of potential roster limits, which did not come to pass. I have not seen news that he is actually transferring, but Michigan brought in transfer Dan Rosenberg, who has starting experience at Holy Cross, and Tarr also returns as the likely starter. Last year's rank: #63.
96. QB Davis Warren (RS Sr.): It might be surprising to see Warren ranked all the way down here at #96, since he was the starter for most of the 2024 season. However, he tore his ACL in the bowl game against Alabama, and Michigan probably has at least two quarterbacks this season who are better than him in freshman Bryce Underwood and incoming transfer Mikey Keene. Warren's season was underwhelming from a statistical standpoint (134/209, 64.1% completions, 1199 yards, 7 TD, 9 INT), but he did beat Michigan State, Ohio State, and Alabama as a starting quarterback. I would expect him to drop to at least #3 on the depth chart even if he returns to some semblance of playable health. Last year's rank: #29.
I kinda admire Davis Warren and his perseverance. He's clearly not going to be the QB, unless really bad things happen to the QBs in front of him, and let's hope that does not happen. He'll likely spend this year studying film, in practice, and never seeing game action. Yet he stays and continues to work. Good for him.
ReplyDeleteYeah, kid wasn't good enough for the MICHIGAN standard, but will forever be remembered as having one in The Shoe
DeleteI have soft spot for Davis Warren. Wish him best in the future. Strikes me as a hard worker and team player who does not complain.
ReplyDeleteHe's a high-character young man that's good to have in the locker room and on the sideline. He may have hopes of coaching, and my hunch is he'd be good at it.
DeleteI really liked the way he handled himself in interviews last year. He took responsibility and didn't shirk blame, even though I'm sure he felt a ton of pressure. The other guys seem to really like him, too. He seems like a guy who will be CEO of a company someday.
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