MLive is spending the summer checking in on the top 2025 football recruits in Michigan. Today, we take a look at Howell defensive lineman Bobby Kanka, a Michigan commit who verbally pledged last August.
BIO
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 285 pounds
Position: Defensive tackle
Recruit rating: 4-star on 247Sports Composite, ranked as Michigan’s No. 3 overall recruit and the No. 41-ranked defensive lineman in the country
Recruiting status: Verbally committed to Michigan on August 1, 2023
Scholarship offers: Syracuse, Miami (OH), Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Tennessee, Toledo, Penn State, Hillsdale, Kansas, Bowling Green, Louisville, Minnesota, Northwestern
Year: 2025
HOWELL, MI – It’s around a decade ago on a late summer day in Pinckney, a village catered to outdoor enthusiasts, and elementary youngsters are bickering and halting football practice over which team will be lucky enough to land then-second grader Bobby Kanka on their squad.
“They had a coin flip, and it was like draft day,” Bobby’s father, Tom recalled. “I looked at my wife said, ‘this kid is in second grade, he’s not the Second Coming (of Christ).’”
Football speaking, maybe not.
Yet.
Bobby proceeded to take his first touch as a football player to the house, a 43-yard rushing touchdown that’s set fire to a blazing gridiron journey –– one that continues to transcend during his Howell high school career.
Nowadays, you can find the swift, dominant and physically imposing big man wreaking havoc in the trenches, particularly along the Highlanders’ defensive front, where he’s transformed into a matchup nightmare oft-times requiring a double team from offensive lineman.
And frankly, Bobby is one of the best young talents in Michigan.
“I just fell in love with the game at a young age,” said Bobby, a rising Howell senior. “Growing up, I played everywhere from center to tackle to tight end and defense. I’ve always been athletic and big, and now that I’m transitioned to (defensive line), I’m just making a living on the inside.”
With rare size, athleticism, quickness and agility, paired with a next-level mindset, Bobby has skyrocketed to being Michigan’s No. 3 overall prospect for the class of 2025 and the No. 41-ranked defensive lineman in the entire country –– something that culminated to his commitment to the University of Michigan last August.
Exploding onto the state’s football scene before his freshman season, Bobby is now a four-star prospect with traits highly sought after from big-name Division-I schools. And at 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, he’s not just easily seen on the field with his size.
It’s his makeup that does plenty of talking, too.
“Bob’s determination and decision making have turned him into a great leader,” Howell football coach Brian Lewis said. “Bob has a lot to do with what we’re trying to do in instilling a relentless working culture. He represents not only himself in being a high-motor guy, but what we have going on at Howell, too.”
Michigan commit Bobby Kanka poses for a photo.(Courtesy photo / Bobby Kanka)
‘Addicted to getting better’
From a young age, Bobby always loved competition, but never enjoyed being common.
Entering his senior season at Howell, that hasn’t changed much –– even if he hasn’t found his exact purpose in playing football.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever really realized what my ‘why’ is yet except for right now, I just feed off being different than people and doing uncommon things,” he said. “I think I have enough self confidence that if I keep doing those uncommon things that not everybody else does, I’ll end up in a great position. I love learning and dominating the game, and really feed off being better than other people.
“I’m just addicted to getting better.”
In an injury-shortened and transfer-riddled junior season, Bobby still managed to amass eight sacks, nine tackles for loss and 38 total tackles in just five and a half games for a Howell team that finished 3-6.
Bobby transferred from Pickney to Howell after his freshman season and has battled a series of knee injuries since –– he’s battled dislocated kneecaps on three different occasions.
All that adversity has only fueled his fierce mindset.
“Having a lot of doubters has just fed into being different,” he said.
Different is just built in Bobby’s DNA.
“It’s all self-driven for him and he’s got that inner desire,” Tom said. “He’s told me that he will never fail because he’s been outworked. That’s what separates him, and he won’t be let any opportunity pass him by to get better. He’s got that inner drive that he’s not going to get beat, it’s almost maniacal.”
Michigan commit Bobby Kanka, middle, poses with his family.(Courtesy photo / Bobby Kanka)
Football pedigree
Tom was a standout defensive lineman for Hillsdale College in the 1980s, enjoying a brief stint in the NFL before transitioning into the coaching rankings. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 2017 as well.
But he never pushed his oldest son to play football.
“Bob’s always been a great athlete and I was cautious at first because we wanted to expose all of our kids to every sport and let them gravitate towards what they had a passion for,” Tom said. “But when he went out for football as a second grader, it didn’t take us long to see that Bob just had something special and had that ‘it’ factor. Within a couple of days, they wanted to move him up to fourth grade.”
Tom coached Bobby up until middle school, but it was in fifth grade when Bobby said he truly understood just what kind of football legacy his dad had. For Bobby, it was almost an epiphany moment that fifth grade year.
“We had a playoff game and we used his NFL alumni coin that they sent and I think that was the moment where it all hit,” Bobby said. “After that, I started doing my own research on my dad and realized who he was and that gave me a lot of motivation to hold up the family name. He doesn’t express it a whole lot, but he truly has a lot of football knowledge and just that experience that you can’t get from other people.”
Tom now coaches Howell’s defensive line, and with his youngest son, Frank, set to be an incoming defensive lineman and freshman for the Highlanders, the 2024 season has all the makings of a special one for the Kanka memory bank.
“With my brother being out there with me, I find myself going the extra mile out there just because I know he’s out there and he looks up to me,” Bobby said. “I’ve never been able to play with him on a team before, and along with my dad, I’m just trying to soak it in.”
With that in mind, Bobby has the knowledge, the mindset and the physical tools to be a frequent disrupter in opposing backfields. It’s why college recruiters were in awe several years ago, and why he’s multi-faceted along defensive fronts.
“He’s tall, long and has a good reach,” Lewis said. “He’s got a real quick first step and great at reaching kids on the edge – you really have to decide what you want to do with him. The game is slow for him, and he can move around and play multiple positions at a very high level.”
For Bobby, all that’s culminated to a pass rushing and defensive prowess arsenal with fruitful results.
“Just being able to hone my skills and craft is the addicting part but especially with defensive tackle, I just like getting my hands off people and being able to dictate what happens,” Bobby said. “I think very few people realize I can move the way I do, and I take pride in my agility and athleticism. I think that’s pretty cool to keep in my back pocket and pull that out whenever I need to.”
Michigan commit Bobby Kanka, left, poses with Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore, right.(Courtesy photo / Bobby Kanka)
A Michigan man
The University of Michigan has always been in Bobby’s backyard.
Just a short 25-minute drive to The Big House, his memories of watching the Wolverines are loaded –– a big reason why committing to Michigan felt like a “no-brainer.”
“I grew up going there and going to spring games and it always had that home feel,” he said. “Once I found out they were interested in me, it just felt like a no-brainer. We’ve always been Michigan people and we’ve had Michigan stuff all over our house.”
But there was some recent reluctancy. After Michigan won the 2023 National Championship and head coach Jim Harbaugh departed for the Los Angeles Chargers, Bobby said he had to reevaluate his commitment.
“I love coach Harbaugh and their culture but when that staff left, I honestly had to shift thinking because sometimes things change when there’s a coaching change, naturally,” Bobby said. “I had to go up there and see for myself what it was like and I’ve known coach (Sherrone) Moore since my freshman year and I’ve got to know (defensive line) coach (Lou) Esposito and with the combination of a great school, great people and great football, it really solidified it all for me.
“And to get a number one education and play for the No. 1 football team in the country, have the best chance to develop my body and be able to get to my ultimate goal, which is the (NFL), Michigan is the best chance I have to get there.”
Kanka is the fifth-ranked prospect for Michigan’s 2025 recruiting class, a class that currently ranks No. 22 in the nation. For certain, though, Bobby plugs in as a budding young Wolverine talent with a high-octane motor.
And a mindset few have.
“When everybody else is tired, I have that heart to be able to go out there and make plays when needed,” Bobby said. “I don’t know what you would call it, but I know I can make things happen and that feeds me into being different.”