Sunday thoughts: On friends and recruits, Michigan and beyond

Years ago now, former Michigan All-American defensive lineman Chris Hutchinson wasn’t quite sure what he had in his son, Aidan. He knew he was a skilled football player, and that he’d be playing at the next level— he just wasn’t certain if he was “Michigan caliber,” which of course was his son’s dream. 

So, he leaned on some of his old friends for their advice while his son continued moving up the rankings. He knew one of them — his former teammate and Michigan All-Big Ten offensive lineman Doug Skene — was always going to be honest (sometimes brutally) in his assessment. 

After seeing some of Aidan’s senior year games, Skene chimed in with what most were starting to figure out — he was going to play wherever he wanted. He ended up wearing his father’s number at Michigan, as we know, and taking it to another level.

For the fans, there’s something special about seeing a Michigan legacy commit and succeed in the winged helmet, and it’s the same for us. When you’re in this business, though, you often get the unsolicited “do you think my kid (grandkid, etc.) can play at Michigan?” Most of the time, of course, it’s an emphatic “no,” though you’re tactful in explaining just how hard it really is to earn a scholarship at U-M, no matter the sport. 

When a former neighbor (and still family friend) Jim Zuidema, then, approached us several years ago that he had a 7-0 grandson former Michigan coach John Beilein might be kicking the tires on, we smiled and nodded at first. Then we learned it was Jon Teske, and that Beilein was going to see him in Cleveland — so we followed his lead and saw him play. While he was far from a finished product, Teske clearly had the potential to play in the Big Ten, and looked like the kind of player Beilein could turn into a very good player at Michigan. 

The rest is history there. It came to a head in New York (one of Beilein’s favorite Michigan postseason memories, he told us last week at dinner, when U-M fans took over Madison Square Garden). It was an emotional moment personally, staying at a good friend’s house near the Empire State Building that was lit up in maize and blue at the top that night to honor the Big Ten champion Wolverines. Chants of “TES-KE! TES-KE! TES-KE!” rained down after he dunked over Purdue big man Isaac Haas on his way to 13 points in a title game win over the Boilermakers. It was a late night putting the emotions into a column, in fact … it took a while to process what was witnessed. 

Grandpa Zuidema was right. 

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Fast forward a few years to Fall of 2023. A friend in our town of Dexter, Michigan, just outside of Ann Arbor, had an up-and-coming young athlete who always seemed to be a head taller than most of the kids in his class. While he battled a few injuries here and there while his growth plates adapted to his frame, etc., it was always clear he had the work ethic and ability to be a next-level player. 

His name: Holden Niemi, now a 2027 Michigan offeree. 

But his mother was never a “my kid is all that” type; rather, she was interested in opinions from those who had been in the game a while. While we don’t claim to be the authority here, we’ve seen enough to know a thing or two, so we asked her to send film of the first few games of his freshman year. 

It took about two minutes of watching before pausing and sending a text — “congratulations. You’re not going to have pay for your son’s college.” But his mother isn’t the “take it for granted type,” doing what moms do in sitting in bitter cold weather during spring game visits, asking questions, etc. Tomorrow, they’ll drive to South Bend for Notre Dame’s camp.

On the film — not only did Niemi show off great hands and the ability to pull away from corners three years older than him (at 6-4, 210, no less), but he was throwing blocks to spring his teammates you just don’t see from kids his age. And not only did he not avoid contact, but he relished it, taking as much pride in it as some of his bigger catches and runs (and there were plenty, including one in which he had nearly 200 yards receiving). 

Also an outstanding baseball player, Niemi continues to grow and work to improve his game. Football will be his sport, and while the offers are going to pour in soon — Michigan stepped up this week — he’s remained grounded, concentrating on what he can do to get even better. 

U-M has an early jump here, but like any recruitment, nothing is set in stone. He has three years of high school ball remaining, and while Michigan has proven to be a place tight ends can thrive under Sherrone Moore, they have to stay competitive nationally and — yes — probably up the NIL game (though revenue sharing will help). 

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The same week Niemi earned his Michigan offer, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern’s Ace Simonson opened eyes at the Pitt camp, impressing the likes of future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald with the way he hit. A three-star offensive lineman by some services (and it should be, probably will be all of them in early fall when folks get to see him play again), Simonson is starting to earn more interest D-1 interest. Pitt writers who saw him in action were impressed. 

“Pitt is looking at Simonson as an interior offensive lineman. He worked well against the opposing defensive linemen, some of the best talent he’s gone up against in his camp appearances, but he was able to showcase his pass and run blocking,” Pittsburgh Sports Now wrote. 

He’s 6-2, 270. If he were three inches taller, he’d be a household name in recruiting circles. 

“We talked about my recruitment, and we talked about what that looks like” Simonson said. “[They] said he loved my speed, loved the way I played … said I had the right mentality to play there. They just said the only thing they weren’t set on was my length.

“And that’s kind of been the tone throughout my recruitment. It’s that they’ve got to see a little bit more from me, hoping I grow another few inches.”

As most know, we have a great working relationship with Simonson’s father, our friend and the Huge Show’s Bill Simonson, spanning well over a decade now — so yeah, we’re biased here in hoping all his football dreams come true. But having watched him with Skene and knowing what kind of worker and kid he is — one parent noted recently he was the one kid to stay behind and clean the stands after an event in which younger kids made a mess with their trash — it’s not going to surprise us at all when (not if) he succeeds wherever he starts. He’s also an outstanding student.

Some kids hit their strides and their growth spurts later in life. We’ve seen players from local schools and smaller colleges like Ferris State and Grand Valley have great success in the NFL, or recently — like GVSU’s Jay’viar Suggs with LSU — get huge NIL deals from D-1 powerhouses to spend their last years. 

We’re not sure where he’ll be in a few years, but we know this — whatever the younger Simonson chooses to do in life, he’s going to be a success. And it wouldn’t stun, at all, to see him take his game to a much higher level. 

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