Latest news with #Casula
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan football's Hogan Hansen focused on details in 2025, says coach Casula
Michigan football's Hogan Hansen focused on details in 2025, says coach Casula Michigan football has one returning starter at tight end, but there's a big, glaring hole with Colston Loveland having departed for the NFL after his junior year. Expectations are high for Marlin Klein as he enters his senior year, but they're perhaps even higher for sophomore Hogan Hansen -- who showed similar glimpses to what Loveland had in his first year in college. Despite having shown some flashes, tight ends coach Steve Casula doesn't want Hansen to rest on his laurels. The good news is, to some degree, he can't -- things have gotten more difficult simply by his promotion to the starting group. Casula shared more about Hansen's progress and what they're working on together with Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast. "Refining the detail, applying detail, blended with his outstanding ability, playing with great technique," Casula said. "I think you can appreciate this as a guy who played pretty early in their career. Like when you first play everyone, you celebrate all the good that happens, and like anything that goes wrong, like, oh, well, he's a freshman, or oh, he's a sophomore. So I think one of the toughest parts for a guy's career that plays really early and has some success. "Well, now this spring, all of Hogan's reps were with the first group or first or second group. So life's a little bit different when you got to deal with Derrick Moore all day, or life's a little bit different when you're running routes against Ernie Hausmann. Like it's just kind of like, it's different, right? Brandyn Hillman's covering you. And that's no discredit to any of our younger players, but when you go from being a part-time player to a full-time player, practice is harder. Blocking TJ Guy's not easy." With that in mind, Casula likes what he's seen. Hansen may have had seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in 10 game appearances as a reserve, but the staff is just drilling into him that he'll no longer be judged off inexperience. He's expected to be the star player Michigan recruited and brought to Ann Arbor from Bellevue, Washington. Anything less would be a disservice to himself. "You're not a freshman anymore. So now you've got to be upheld to the same standard as the guys you're in the game with," Casula said. "So I think that's a challenge, but I think it's a challenge that Hogan handled well. He's really gifted, about the right stuff, physical, but now detail -- like playing with great detail. And not everything is like, oh, the ball just found him. Like, no, man, going out and winning every route, getting open, and continuing to get better through detail." Fans will get the opportunity to see Hansen in action on August 30, when Michigan football hosts New Mexico for the 2025 season opener at The Big House.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan football's Marlin Klein poised for breakout as elite tight end in 2025 season
Michigan football's Marlin Klein poised for breakout as elite tight end in 2025 season Last year, as he was about to become a starter for Michigan football for the first time, tight end Marlin Klein was No. 90 on The Athletic's 'freaks list.' Since arriving in Ann Arbor, Klein, who began his football career with the Cologne Crocodiles in his native Germany, has turned a lot of heads. Loveland emerged as a matchup nightmare last year thanks to his rangy frame and speed that tops out at 21.25 mph. Klein, now 6-6 and 250, hit 21.75 mph this summer. He broad-jumped 9-7. Former Wolverines star Colston Loveland had said last spring that Klein was the fastest tight end on the team, yet Klein only had 13 catches for 108 yards for an average of 8.31 yards per catch. Now that he's set to start (for a second year) alongside sophomore Hogan Hansen, the team is hoping he can be more of a focal point in the passing game. Steve Casula coaching Klein to use his skills more That notion isn't lost on the coaches, that we haven't seen Klein maximize his potential. Speaking to Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast, tight ends coach Steve Casula noted that Klein absolutely needs to do everything he can to punish defenses, given what he has at his disposal. "He and I have talked about this. It needs to be," Casula said. "And he and I together need to make sure that that happens. Because we have talked a lot about his ability and his potential. And he's helped us win a bunch of football games here and played outstanding as an inline tight end this past year. But he and I both are in agreement. It's time for that to happen this fall. "So we kind of, he and I have kind of talked about this. I'm gonna talk about it less and do it more. But yeah, I really believe that this is the year that it needs to happen. I've got all the faith and trust in Mar, and he's got outstanding ability and talent. And the time for him is now." What Klein should be for the Wolverines Casula thinks that Klein can achieve the goals set in front of him. He's seen good things from him in the offseason, now is just the time to put everything together. Given the premium nature of the tight end position in the Michigan football offense (which isn't changing even with Chip Lindsey taking over the offensive coordinator position), Casula wants to see Klein rise to the occasion -- to become a premier tight end in college football. Because, essentially, that's what's demanded in the Michigan offense. "Like we were saying, ball finds talent, technique, and energy. He's got great talent," Casula said. "He's got the capacity to use great technique. And he's got the right energy about him. But I think it's a combination of both. "He is gonna be targeted more this upcoming season. And my challenge has been him, every single play, man, win the route. Every single play, do it right. So he's being held to a super high standard now. I do believe this spring was the best he's ever played. But again, our guys need to be who Michigan needs them to be. Michigan's starting tight end needs to be an NFL player and an all-conference level player. That's what our history is. That's what the level of expectation is. So pushing him to be that. He's ready to be coached, as you mentioned earlier, on the why. He knows what to do. He knows how to do it. He's to the point in his career where he's kind of taking that next step. But now it's about going and doing it." Klein will certainly have competition to help make him better. Hogan Hansen is expected to take a big step forward, while other players -- such as Brady Prieskorn and Zack Marshall -- have gotten some offseason accolades. That's not even mentioning the fullbacks -- Max Bredeson and Jalen Hoffman -- who could see more time working as pass-catching threats in the new offense.
