"I don't have an excuse to not work hard, because my mom did till the day she died," Michigan football punter Hudson Hollenbeck said.
Hudson Hollenbeck has had quite the journey from Tennessee to Michigan football's starting punter
It began in his hometown of Collierville, Tennessee, continued with a season at Mississippi State and then featured nearly two full seasons in Ann Arbor in which his only on-field action was as a holder on extra-point attempts. That is, until he was handed the punting role in the ReliaQuest Bowl and reigned in U-M's season-ending victory over Alabama on Dec. 31, 2024.
Three full years for a former five-star punter – a top-seven recruit at his position – is fare from the usual route.
And yet, for Hollenbeck, it's nowhere near his toughest journey.
His mother, Gina, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in his youth; she died from cancer shortly before he left for Mississippi State in 2022.
He considered dropping school and football. But he knew that's not what his mother would have wanted.
"That's not ever anything easy to deal with," Hollenbeck said in Schembechler Hall on Thursday, Aug. 14. "But something about my mom is she was a really, really hard fighter. She fought till the day she died. She was known for her optimism, kind of just leaving a sparkle behind wherever she went.”
Hollenbeck often writes a message to himself on his thigh pads or his wrist, referencing one of Gina's favorite phrases. It's about two men in jail. One sees only the mud on the ground. The other looks up, and sees the sky.
"What's your perspective on life?" he says of the message. "It's funny to say this, but, like, dealing with stuff like (my mom's death), it's kind of been a blessing in disguise. Little did I know, further on in life, I would have the skills to just be persistent, to still push when I don't know the answers, when it didn't seem fair to me, you know, or things along those lines.
"I don't have an excuse to not work hard, because my mom did till the day she died, and so, like, that kind of is something I hold near and dear."
Now that he has worked his way up to a starting spot with the Wolverines, he's ready to reach beyond the field. Hollenbeck announced a fundraiser Wednesday, Aug. 13, via social media, with the goal of raising more than $36,000 toward the fight against lung cancer. For every 50-yard punt or every punt that pins an opponent inside its 20 this season, he will donate $50 toward his "Punting Cancer Away" campaign for Michigan’s Rogel Cancer Center.
I'd love for you to join me in the fight against lung cancer this season.
— Hudson Hollenbeck (@hollenbeck_h6) August 13, 2025
This is a cause that is very important to me, and together with @umichmedicine and @umrogelcancercenter we can make a difference.
Support: https://t.co/XMzU1RoPUW#GoBlue#PuntingCancerAwaypic.twitter.com/tGcD69gzDP
U-M fans are likewise encouraged to donate; his hope is to raise more than the total of a similar fundraiser during his senior season at Collierville High School.
“Those stories just never really get out there, and the funding is not where it needs to be, because it's looked at as this stigmatized disease,” Hollenbeck said. “That's kind of my goal. It's really cool to say I play for this team, (and) I'm so thankful that I'm in this position, but I want to do something bigger than myself.
"I want to use my platform for a greater good. For how many years I get to spend here, the next couple seasons, I don't want it to be about me. I love my team, I love my family and that always comes first.”
His U-M teammates have seen his devotion for years, thanks to his work as holder on special teams. That included last season, when he helped Dominic Zvada set program records in his first year with the Wolverines.
Zvada, often soft-spoken, professed his admiration for the way Hollenbeck has channeled his heartache into something constructive.
“It shows that he doesn't do it for himself, and you can kind of just feel that when you're around him, even if you don't know his story,” Zvada said. “He's playing for something greater. And he's kind of got that chip on his shoulder all the time that he wants to show people who he truly is.
"I think that's really going to help him out this year and give him a lot of confidence."
In addition to the confidence, Hollenbeck's leg is also a plus for Michigan. In his lone punting appearance last season, he booted six punts for 277 yards − a 46.2 yard average − against the Crimson Tide on Dec. 31, 2024, with two landing inside the Tide's 20.
A left-footed kicker, he believes he has a slight built-in advantage, with the ball spinning off his foot opposite of the way returners are used to.
With each kick, he honors his mother, primarily through the work put in to get to this point. With each kick, Hollenbeck stares down at his foot, directly above the mud, before he sends the ball soaring toward the sky.
“It's been a long time coming,” Hollenbeck said. “I'm very flattered to have the story I do. I try to work as hard as I can to keep myself in a good position, and it's finally come to fruition. I'm honestly just blessed.”
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football P Hudson Hollenbeck honors mom through fundraiser
Category: General Sports
