Football is often called a game of inches. For Hartland native Max Bredeson, every inch had to be earned just for a chance to hear his name called on NFL draft weekend.”Definitely cool being back home,” Bredeson said. “Don’t get to come home a lot.”Back on the field at Arrowhead High School, Bredeson is right where it all started. The former Warhawks quarterback still holds deep ties to his hometown.”Love it. Love home,” he said. “Hartland’s always been a special place to me.”Bredeson led Arrowhead during his senior season under head coach Matt Harris, who still remembers his playmaking instincts.”We’d call a pass play … and he’d run the ball instead,” Harris said with a laugh.Despite being named Classic Eight Conference Offensive Player of the Year, injuries limited Bredeson to just seven varsity games.”I actually didn’t play a lot of games,” Bredeson said. “So, this is one of the few times I’ve really been out here.”Still, his coach never doubted his potential.”The second I saw him play, I knew he was better than a preferred walk-on,” Harris said.Bredeson comes from a highly athletic family. His two older brothers both competed at the University of Michigan — one in baseball and the other, Ben Bredeson, in football, who now plays in the NFL.”Those are my guys — two of the most important people in my life,” Bredeson said. “They helped pave the way, and I’m just proud to kind of pave my own path, too.”That path always pointed to Ann Arbor.”There’s a picture of me as a kid in the Michigan locker room when my brothers went there,” he said. “That was home right away.”In 2021, Bredeson joined the Wolverines as a preferred walk-on, making the switch from tight end to fullback. Over time, he carved out a key role.By 2023, he earned a scholarship, was named a two-time team captain and helped lead Michigan to a national championship. “It’s been a crazy journey — not the most common one — but I’m thankful for how it happened,” Bredeson said.Even after suffering a season-ending injury, Bredeson was awarded the Lowman Trophy, given to the nation’s top fullback.”Every bump in the road … I’d do it all the same,” he said. “The tough times, the good times — I’d do it all over again.”Harris says Bredeson’s impact goes far beyond the field.”It’s really special to have somebody with this kind of work ethic and character represent the ‘A,'” he said.Now 23 years old, the Hartland native is projected as a Day 3 pick in the NFL draft.”It’s crazy to think about — all the stages, all the practices,” Bredeson said. “I’m just grateful for the people who helped me get here.”
Football is often called a game of inches. For Hartland native Max Bredeson, every inch had to be earned just for a chance to hear his name called on NFL draft weekend.
“Definitely cool being back home,” Bredeson said. “Don’t get to come home a lot.”
Back on the field at Arrowhead High School, Bredeson is right where it all started. The former Warhawks quarterback still holds deep ties to his hometown.
“Love it. Love home,” he said. “Hartland’s always been a special place to me.”
Bredeson led Arrowhead during his senior season under head coach Matt Harris, who still remembers his playmaking instincts.
“We’d call a pass play … and he’d run the ball instead,” Harris said with a laugh.
Despite being named Classic Eight Conference Offensive Player of the Year, injuries limited Bredeson to just seven varsity games.
“I actually didn’t play a lot of games,” Bredeson said. “So, this is one of the few times I’ve really been out here.”
Still, his coach never doubted his potential.
“The second I saw him play, I knew he was better than a preferred walk-on,” Harris said.
Bredeson comes from a highly athletic family. His two older brothers both competed at the University of Michigan — one in baseball and the other, Ben Bredeson, in football, who now plays in the NFL.
“Those are my guys — two of the most important people in my life,” Bredeson said. “They helped pave the way, and I’m just proud to kind of pave my own path, too.”
That path always pointed to Ann Arbor.
“There’s a picture of me as a kid in the Michigan locker room when my brothers went there,” he said. “That was home right away.”
In 2021, Bredeson joined the Wolverines as a preferred walk-on, making the switch from tight end to fullback. Over time, he carved out a key role.
By 2023, he earned a scholarship, was named a two-time team captain and helped lead Michigan to a national championship.
“It’s been a crazy journey — not the most common one — but I’m thankful for how it happened,” Bredeson said.
Even after suffering a season-ending injury, Bredeson was awarded the Lowman Trophy, given to the nation’s top fullback.
“Every bump in the road … I’d do it all the same,” he said. “The tough times, the good times — I’d do it all over again.”
Harris says Bredeson’s impact goes far beyond the field.
“It’s really special to have somebody with this kind of work ethic and character represent the ‘A,'” he said.
Now 23 years old, the Hartland native is projected as a Day 3 pick in the NFL draft.
“It’s crazy to think about — all the stages, all the practices,” Bredeson said. “I’m just grateful for the people who helped me get here.”
