Hogan Hansen was once a highly-touted recruit out of the state of Washington. Now entering his sophomore season, he’s ready to take the next step for Michigan Football:
With Colston Loveland off to play for Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears , there is a void to be filled in the Michigan tight end room. However, the cupboards are hardly bare, as Marlin Klein, Hogan Hansen and others appear ready to step up. The position appears to still be a position of strength despite losing a big time talent to the NFL.
Hansen in particular appears primed to step up into the TE2 role. He rose to the occasion down the stretch in 2024 and has an excellent outlook moving forward.
The story so far
Hansen was a highly-touted recruit out of Bellevue High School in the state of Washington. Not necessarily known as a hotbed of high school football talent, he was the fourth-best player in the state in the 2024 class and the 23rd-best tight end. All that accumulated into being a four-star prospect .
At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds coming out of high school, Hansen was a bit raw as a prospect. His high school team ran the Wing-T offense, which worked for them but made scouting a player like Hogan significantly more difficult. Coincidentally, Bellevue High School’s colors are maize and blue, they have a winged helmet, and their mascot is the Wolverines.
Michigan won the recruiting sweepstakes over schools like Washington, Oregon, Stanford and Miami in large part thanks to former tight ends coach Grant Newsome. Hansen was quoted several times throughout the recruiting process singing Newsome’s praises. He enrolled early in Jan. 2024.
As a true freshman, most didn’t expect Hansen to see the field. He had other ideas, as he appeared in 10 games (burning his redshirt in the process) and caught seven passes for 78 yards, including a touchdown against Arkansas State.
First career trip to the end zone for 80
Inside the Play » Hogan Hansen#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/RfbD8qVvHP
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 18, 2024
Hansen was named Rookie of the Year on the offensive side of the ball by the program.
Outlook for 2025
With Loveland out the door, Michigan’s tight end room now contains Klein, Hansen, Zack Marshall, Deakon Tonielli and Brady Prieskorn. Despite being on the younger end of this group, Hansen is expected to be TE2 behind Klein.
Hansen is a capable receiver, as evidenced by his 50-yard performance against Illinois, as well as crucial catches against both Ohio State and Alabama. He now needs to focus on filling out his frame and improving as a blocker.
It says something about Hansen that the coaching staff was willing to burn his redshirt. I fully expect Hansen to play an integral part in Michigan’s new offense under Chip Lindsey. As just a true sophomore in 2025, we have at least two more years of watching him in the college ranks.