Things to know ahead of Michigan's season-opener against New Mexico

Michigan fans can rejoice -- football is back in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines will take the stage on Saturday night against New Mexico. The Lobos have 55 new faces from last season's team. New Mexico went out and hired Idaho's Jason Eck as its new head coach, and Eck hit both the recruiting trail and transfer portal hard.

As for Michigan, the Wolverines will have some new faces, too. Most notably, QB Bryce Underwood is lining up under center for the first time. The former five-star QB was brought in to fix Michigan's 131st-ranked passing attack in 2024. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is also a new face, who was hired from North Carolina.

Before the game kicks off, here are some pregame notes that are worth looking at.

• The Wolverines enter the 2025 season opener with an all-time record of 119-23-3 in season debuts and a 101-15-2 mark at home.

• Newly-elected captains include: Max Bredeson, Giovanni El-Hadi, and Marlin Klein on offense, as well as Rod Moore, Ernest Hausmann, and Derrick Moore on defense. Bredeson and Rod Moore are two-time captains. Joe Taylor (offense) and TJ Guy (defense) are alternates.

• Max Bredeson and his brother Ben Bredeson are the first-ever pair of brothers to be elected as two-time captains at U-M.

• Klein is the first-ever international-born player to be named a captain for the team. He and Bredeson both earning the title of captain marks the first time a pair of tight ends have been among U-M's team captains.

• The following players made their first collegiate starts during the 2024 season: wide receiver Kendrick Bell, center Greg Crippen, tight end Marlin Klein, tackles Evan Link and Andrew Sprague, running back Jordan Marshall, wide receivers Fredrick Moore and Peyton O'Leary, and quarterback Davis Warren on offense; defensive back Zeke Berry, edge TJ Guy, defensive back Jyaire Hill and edge Derrick Moore on defense.

• The offensive line returns multiple players with significant starting experience. Giovanni El-Hadi (16 starts) has appeared in 34 games on the offensive line, and Greg Crippen (eight starts) has appeared in 27. Evan Link (13 games, 11 starts) stepped into a larger role in 2024, while Brady Norton (15 games, 11 starts at Cal Poly) and Lawrence Hattar (27 games, 25 starts at Ferris State) bring FCS and Division II experience from the transfer portal.

• Among debut starters this weekend will be freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. Underwood will be the first first-year signal caller for the Maize and Blue to start the season opener since 2009 and just the fourth in program history (Rick Leach, at Wisconsin, 1975; Chad Henne, vs. Miami (Ohio), 2004; Tate Forcier, vs. Western Michigan, 2009).

• The Wolverine defense returns its top two leading tacklers in Ernest Hausmann (89 tackles) and Jaishawn Barham (66).

• U-M closed the 2024 season on a hot run defensively, especially when it was time to close out games. Across the final four games of the season (Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio State, ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Alabama), U-M's defense permitted six second-half points in total (one field goal against Indiana, one against Alabama).

• Michigan's season-ending win in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama provided opportunities for several players who will rely on that experience this season. Wide receiver Fredrick Moore caught his first career touchdown in the game, and edge rusher Cameron Brandt recovered a fumble, the first of his career.

• Jordan Marshall rushed for exactly 100 yards against the Crimson Tide in his first extended action out of the Michigan backfield and was named the game's MVP. Marshall will pair with transfer addition Justice Haynes to spearhead the Wolverine rushing attack this fall.

• Michigan also returns its leading scorer in kicker Dominic Zvada (89 points), a 2025 preseason All-American after earning first team consensus honors in 2024.

• Zvada finished the season 21-of-22 on field goals (one blocked). His 21 conversions were the fourth-most all-time for a single campaign in U-M history, and his 7-for-7 mark on kicks of 50-plus yards set new career and single-season records at Michigan.

• Zvada enters this season among the most productive kickers returning to the FBS, in terms of career scoring and conversions. Miami's Bert Auburn (66 conversions on 86 attempts), SMU's Collin Rogers (60-of-80), Texas A&M's Randy Bond (59-of-76), and NIU's Andrew Glass (55-of-75) are the only kickers with as many or more career conversions than Zvada's 55 (on 62 attempts), and Zvada's conversion percentage stands as the best among the group.

• Punter Hudson Hollenbeck will step into the starting role this weekend after his kicking debut (previously held for PATs in only game experience) in the bowl game, where he averaged 46.17 yards with a 69-yard long on six attempts.

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