Michigan Football’s Unexpected Playmaker Emerges to Salvage Troubled Season at TE

The 2025 season offered the Michigan Wolverines offense a real eye-opener. Bryce Underwood dipped his toes in the water, true freshman wideout Andrew Marsh quickly emerged as the go-to guy, and the offensive line — while bruised and battered — showed signs of coming together as the year rolled along. Then, the arrival of head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck — fresh off orchestrating one of college football’s most fearsome offenses at Utah — hinted that 2026 might be a whole different beast. Yet, one part of the puzzle remains uncertain: the tight end group. Without Marlin Klein opting for the NFL Draft, the Wolverines are left relying on a handful of familiar faces like Zack Marshall, Hogan Hansen, Deakon Tonielli, and Jalen Hoffman to fill the void. How this unit shapes up under a new regime and its role in a potentially high-octane offense is the big question mark heading into next season. LEARN MORE

It was a season of discovery for the Michigan Wolverines’ offense in 2025. Bryce Underwood got his feet wet, eventually found his No. 1 option in true freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh, and a revamped offensive line took some lumps but did make some progress as the year went on. Then, head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator in Jason Beck — who had one of the most prolific offenses in college football at Utah — got hired and are hoping to take things to another level in 2026.

But there is one glaring question mark: the tight end room. Michigan was hoping to retain Marlin Klein for one more season, but he opted for the NFL Draft instead. That leaves Zack Marshall, Hogan Hansen, Deakon Tonielli and Jalen Hoffman as the only returners with any experience.

Historically, Michigan and Utah have used tight ends similarly. Beck has a history of successful tight ends, as he helped develop Orandre Gadsden at Syracuse, who just wrapped up a breakout rookie season for Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers. Utah’s No. 2 pass catcher in 2025 was Dallen Bentley, who finished with 48 catches for 620 yards and a team-high six receiving touchdowns.

Michigan snagged J.J. Buchanan in the transfer portal. He is a hybrid tight end/wide receiver who had 26 catches and 427 yards for the Utes as a freshman last season. He’ll play a big role in Ann Arbor, but the program officially announced him as a wide receiver when he signed.

What does that mean? Likely very little. Beck will probably utilize Buchanan in a similar way as a big slot receiver who plays tight to the offensive line. That creates mismatches against smaller nickels in coverage, particularly on the goal line where Buchanan had five touchdowns in 2025.

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So why not just make him a tight end? Well, Buchanan is only 208 pounds, so he’d have to put on a lot more weight to have success as an inline blocker. Odds are he will be more of an outside threat along with Marsh and Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench. He could serve as an extra large slot receiver, giving Michigan a distinct advantage in nickel packages or if a linebacker is in coverage.

That last note is important because it could also be a sign about what Michigan does with the rest of the tight end room that has only 345 receiving yards of returning production. If I were to put money on it today, I think this unit has more limited opportunities as pass catchers in 2026. That would make blocking the most important part of their development this offseason, which really widens the range of possibilities here.

If we’re looking at pass catching capabilities for the room, Zack Marshall is the most proven with 16 receptions for 199 yards and one touchdown last season. The problem is a majority of that production came in two games, as he produced a combined eight catches for 130 yards and his lone score in the midseason wins over Washington and Purdue.

Marshall had those opportunities because of Hogan Hansen missing time last year. He was viewed as a potential starter heading into the 2025 season, but an injury severely limited his playing time. He’s the real wild card here because if he does take the leap that many expected before the injuries, the doubts about this position group could be quickly squashed.

But the best pure blocker of the bunch might be Jalen Hoffman. He played all 13 games last year and was thought as Max Bredeson’s replacement. Entering his senior season, it will be fascinating to see if the new coaching staff rethinks the way he is utilized. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, which makes him the beefiest option available.

Last but not least is Deakon Tonielli, another soon-to-be senior who made two starts a season ago. At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, he’s the most physically imposing player in the room. He has proven success in pass catching (eight catches for 72 yards) and blocking in limited reps. His career has mostly been served with the special teams unit, but he’s one of those guys that could really benefit from this new coaching staff.

Overall, there are options for the Wolverines, but I’m not sure there is a perfect fit. When Beck was at New Mexico, the tight ends were hardly leveraged, and that’s because the room was weaker. Then, when he went to Utah, Bentley and Buchanan were the second and third options in the room. It shows how great his offense is at leveraging the talent at each position, which makes me wonder how much production we’ll see from the tight ends overall given what exists at receiver.

My best guess — Hansen leads the position in snaps, but we still see quite a bit of Marshall and Tonielli in 12 or 13 personnel.

What do you think the group will look like in 2026? Let us know in the comments section below.