U-M has announced its captains for the 146th version of Michigan Wolverines footballwhich will begin the 2025 season Aug. 30 against New Mexico. The team leaders were elected by a player vote.
Michigan’s captains are graduate tight end/fullback Max Bredesongraduate safety Rod Mooregraduate offensive lineman Giovanni el-Hadisenior linebacker Ernest Hausmannsenior EDGE Derrick Moore and senior tight end Marlin Klein.
Bredeson and Moore are both returning captains, having been elected ahead of the 2024 season. Last season, they served in the role along with running back Donovan Edwardsdefensive back Makari Paige and EDGE Josaiah Stewartall of whom are on NFL rosters.
Bredeson and Moore are two of nine two-time captains for Michigan football since 2015. The most recent before them was defensive back Mike Specialist from 2022-23.
Max Bredeson joins his older brother, former Michigan offensive lineman Legs Bredeson as a two-time captain. Ben was a captain from 2018-19, his junior and senior seasons, before entering the NFL Draft. He’s currently a starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Two-time Michigan captains since 2015:
• OL Legs Bredeson — 2018-19
• DL Carlo Kemp — 2019-20
• OF Aidan Hutchinson — 2020-21
• LB Josh Ross — 2020-21
• OL Andrew Vastardis — 2020-21
• WR Ronnie Bell — 2021-22
• DB Mike Specialist — 2022-23
• Te/fb Max Bredeson — 2024-25
• DB Rod Moore — 2024-25
Bredeson has appeared in 44 games with 10 starts, starring in an unheralded role. He played in all 13 contests with six starts a season ago, catching 3 passes for 24 yards. He’s known for his elite blocking.
Moore, meanwhile, is working back toward 100 percent after suffering a knee injury in spring 2024. He missed the entire 2024 campaign and entered this year’s fall camp at around “85 percent” health. He hopes to play early in the season. The 6-foot-0, 198-pounder was a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023 and honorable mention choice in 2022, and has posted 141 tackles, 6 interceptions and 13 pass breakups in 37 career outings.
Hausmann has become one of the top leaders of the Michigan defense this offseason, and represented the Maize and Blue at Big Ten Media Days in July. He has the green dot sticker on his helmet, meaning he receives the play call through helmet communication and disseminates it with his teammates pre-snap.
The Columbus, Neb., native is in his third season at Michigan, after spending one at Nebraska in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder led the Wolverines with 89 tackles, adding 7 for loss, 2 sacks and an interception, in 2024. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition.
Moore was also at Big Ten Media Days along with Bredeson and Hausmann, and has stepped up as one of the most vocal players on a defensive line that’s expected to be formidable. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder has totaled 9 sacks over the last two seasons, including 4 last year, and made the famous fourth-down stop in overtime to clinch a College Football Playoff semifinal victory over Alabama in the Jan. 1, 2024 Rose Bowl. In 2024, Moore started all 12 games in which he appeared, missing one with injury, registering 23 tackles with 6 for loss, 4 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries and 2 pass breakups.
El-Hadi is a 6-foot-5, 315-pound graduate student from Sterling Heights, Mich., who bulked up and became more vocal this offseason, looking to set the tone for a Michigan offensive line looking to turn its fortunes around in 2025. An All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in 2024, El-Hadi finally got his chance to start, opening all 13 games at right guard. This season, he’s slated to play left guard, where he’s more comfortable and spent the majority of his career.
The 6-foot-6, 247-pound Klein led Michigan in tight end snaps last season and has stepped up as a strong voice on the offense in 2025. He hauled in 13 passes for 108 yards in 13 games with six starts a year ago, and had his best game as a blocker in the 19-13 win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
