Michigan Football’s TEs are key in improving the pass game, QB Bryce Underwood

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

For the past several years, one of the components of the Michigan offense that’s been nearly a guarantee is strong play from the tight ends.

It wasn’t long ago that Michigan had the best tight end in college football in Colston Loveland, who posted back-to-back seasons with more than 500 receiving yards in 2023 and 2024 and is now starring with the Chicago Bears. Even last season, when the passing attack was largely ineffective, guys like Marlin Klein and Zack Marshall were pretty involved with 24 and 16 receptions, respectively.

But through two games in 2026, Michigan’s tight ends haven’t been all that noticeable on the field.

Coming into the season, tight end was one of the position groups that had the most concern with no established options. Marshall’s first legitimate contributions came last year, and Hogan Hansen’s career has been marred by injuries. Neither one of them has a reception thus far this year.

Instead, Jalen Hoffman has gotten the start at tight end in both games and is the only one on the roster who has caught a pass so far, with two receptions for 22 yards. Hoffman has developed a reputation the past few years as being a great blocker and someone who would eventually step into the “H-back” role in the previous offense, but he hadn’t been a feature in the pass game until this season.

Getting the group more involved in the pass attack could be a key to getting the offense clicking. More “efficiency” in the pass game was something head coach Kyle Whittingham brought up during his Monday press conference, and he noted the position is one he’d like to see more out of.

“We need to get a little more production from the tight ends,” Whittingham said. “Jalen (Hoffman) has taken a majority of the reps. That’s something that we’re constantly evaluating, but that’s something that could make us better to get some more production out of the tight end room.”

More production from the tight ends could be the key to that “efficiency” Whittingham spoke of, while also making life easier for quarterback Bryce Underwood. So far, Underwood has been most successful operating in the short and intermediate areas of the field, areas tight ends are built to thrive. Having them as more of a focal point can help Underwood establish more of a rhythm while also helping the offense stay on schedule with quick passes.

Perhaps it was a bit of a surprise to see him on the field on Saturday, but freshman Mason Bonner could be an option to help out the offense.

“Mason Bonner we think has big upside.” Whittingham said. “You saw him catch that ball just barely out of bounds, but he’s a guy that we think can continue to progress and become more involved from week to week.”

Although he did not enroll early, Bonner caught the eye of the coaches during fall camp. At 6-foot-7, he boasts an impressive catch radius, and as Whittingham said, he made an impressive catch along the sideline against Oklahoma with his foot barely landing out of bounds on what would’ve been his first career reception. Even though he’s young and inexperienced, the receiving skills aren’t in question and he seems like a good bet for more playing time going forward.

Entering Week 3, Michigan will be looking to get some more out of its offense as a whole against UTEP before the Big Ten slate opens up against Iowa. Although the Wolverines have already proved once this year it’s not wise to take lesser opponents lightly, this might represent the last time for a while that Michigan gets to experiment with its personnel and get more reps for inexperienced players.

Perhaps tight end is a spot where we see some experimentation, maybe with guys like Bonner, Deakon Tonielli, or even more out of Marshall in the hopes of tapping into more receiving production for the stretch run.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos