Michigan’s only entry on The Athletic’s latest “Freaks List” is a name most fans probably wouldn’t have circled: transfer long snapper Gavin Magorien.
That’s the twist in Ann Arbor heading into 2026. Michigan has had plenty of players earn that label over the years - Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson, Marlin Klein, Mazi Smith and Alex Orji among them - but this time the spotlight lands on a specialist.
Bruce Feldman singled out Magorien for a resume that looks more like a powerlifter’s than a long snapper’s. He noted that Magorien spent 2025 snapping for Marshall before transferring to Michigan, and also played wide receiver and defensive back in high school in Erie, Pa.
At 6-foot-0 and 202 pounds, he posted a 10-10 broad jump, 26 bench press reps at 225 pounds and a 550-pound squat. Feldman also pointed to a 6.87 three-cone time, calling it exceptional.
Magorien started every game for Marshall last season at long snapper, and he arrived as part of a major special teams overhaul in Ann Arbor.
With Kerry Coombs retained under new coach Kyle Whittingham, Michigan reshaped its special teams room after a rough year in that phase under Sherrone Moore. Moore fired JB Brown before he himself was fired, and his last big move was bringing Coombs aboard. The Wolverines looked much better on special teams in their bowl loss to Texas, and Coombs has since gone to work rebuilding the unit from the ground up.
That rebuild included landing two long snappers, a new starting kicker and a punter.
“This is Michigan. We are looking for the best punter, the best kicker, the best long snapper in the country.
Every day, always. You walk in my office, the top of the board, for my staff and everybody else's, recruit the best in the country,” Coombs said this week.
Michigan is trying to get back to the kind of special teams standard it had under Jim Harbaugh, especially in the closing stretch of his tenure. Jay Harbaugh didn’t always get enough credit for the job he did there, but the results were obvious: strong kicking, reliable punting and discipline in the kickoff game.
That’s the bar again in 2026. And if Feldman’s list is any indication, Michigan’s new-look special teams room has at least one player who fits the “freak” label in a very different way.
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Magoriens numbers jump off the page for any position, much less one built around precision and timing. He posted a 10-foot-10 broad jump, 26 bench press reps at 225 pounds, a 550-pound squat and a 6.87-second three-cone drill, and his background helps explain the rare blend of explosiveness and agility since he played wide receiver and defensive back in high school before settling in as a long snapper. For Michigan, its the kind of unexpected development that gives a little extra intrigue to a unit fans usually only notice when something goes wrong. [Read more 🡒]
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Gayle has also taken a step toward the pro ranks, signing an Exhibit-10 deal with the Detroit Pistons, but the situation is not as closed off as it might first appear. Because that deal does not take effect unless he actually appears in an NBA game, Michigan could still be in play if he decides a return makes sense, and the Wolverines would have a real reason to welcome back an experienced guard. [Read more 🡒]