Perhaps not receiving much of the fanfare in the tight end room, Max Bredeson was just as important to the Michigan offense as the rest of the playmakers during the 2023 season despite not having much to show on the stat sheet.

When it comes to Bredeson, though, his impact isn't made with touchdowns or big-time catches, it's made by setting it up for others. The selfless act of blocking for a running back or protecting a quarterback, Bredeson does it all for the Wolverines and new tight ends coach Steve Casula can't be happier to have him return this season.

Casula knows Bredeson very well as he was involved in his recruitment process during his first stint in Ann Arbor as an analyst.

So it doesn't come as a shock to see what Bredeson has turned into.

"I was fortunate to deal with Max when he was in high school," Casula said on the In the Trenches podcast this month. "We were recruiting him. I got to know him quite a bit. I was here with him his first fall, the fall of '21. Max is someone that — we always talked about Max, yeah, he's going to play here. He's going to be in that role and play on special teams. Early on, you could tell he had that skill set.

"He has taken on the weight room and the growth and development portion of our program like no other. He was 217 pounds, I think when he got here. Played in the 220s in 2022, he's a guy that's obsessed with Michigan football, that has great physical talent, great physical ability and he relishes and loves physical contact."

On top of his skillset, Casula very much admires Bredeson's team-first attitude, something that the entire team seems to have taken on, which has been a major reason why the Wolverines have enjoyed a three-year run of success that concluded with a national championship.

That team-first attitude will serve Bredeson well moving forward.

"He's the definition of what we'd say, and I know you could appreciate this term, Go Blue guy," Casula said. "He is about everything that is right about college football and Michigan football is Max Bredeson. The best athlete at his high school, he was a high school quarterback. They would snap the ball to him and he'd run for 250 yards. Breddy is awesome, man. Awesome. So smart. So intentional about the football work he does each day and how he trains. At the same time, great guy to be around, great personality, great aura around him. Can't say enough good things about him."