The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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their sets," Krause said. "He's not just an in-line guy. He's a guy that can play in-line, he can be off set. He can be the No. 1 receiver split out wide, he can play in the slot, and I think that's what really sets him apart is his versatility." What also makes All unique are his skills in the open field. Helmholdt said that he has elite playmaking ability for a tight end. Another attribute the consensus top- 20 tight end prospect brings to Michi- gan is his physicality. Krause said he isn't afraid of the dirty work that goes into being a good tight end. "What you see with most high school kids is the athleticism, you see the ball skills and the ability to run routes and do stuff," Krause said. "You always see that stuff, but guys kept saying to me that what they could see with Erick is they saw that physicality. "He loved the physicality and the blocking, and I think that's what put him as one of the top tight ends in the Midwest." In addition to his physicality and blocking, both Krause and Helmholdt said that All is great at catching the football. In three seasons at Fairfield High School, he had 73 career catches and displayed the ability to be a consis- tent offensive threat. His hands are just another trait that make him unique. "In the passing game, he's a guy that has the quickness and explosiveness to create separation, and then the play- making skills to make the catches other tight ends aren't usually able to make," Helmholdt said. While he isn't as big as the prototypi- cal tight end, he could still see the field for Michigan early on because of his ability in the passing game. "Because size-wise he's small for the position, it might take a year or two until he starts to impact, but if he can find a way to overcome the size dis- parity, he has the skills in the passing game to make some plays early in his career," Helmholdt noted. Krause thinks that All will be suc- cessful as Michigan because of what he meant to his high school program. "I think the biggest thing he brought was a competitiveness and a tough- ness," Krause said. "He was a guy that exemplified that to our younger kids and the kids in his class. He was a kid that performed every day in practice like it might be the last play that he was going to play. It gets contagious." ❏ DID YOU KNOW? • He weighed 195 pounds after his junior season and knew he had to add weight, so he changed his diet and started eating six eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, while snack- ing on protein bars every two hours. He also began regularly working out at Parrillo Performance Train- ing Center in Fairfield, Ohio. • Heavily persuaded Dacula (Ga.) High four-star cornerback Jalen Perry to come to Michigan during their Nov. 17 visit to the Indiana game (Perry com- mitted two days later). • At Nike's The Opening regional in Canton, Ohio, on May 5, 2018, All measured in at 6-4, 214 pounds and ran a 4.95 40- yard dash with a 4.27 20-yard shut- tle. He also recorded 34.5 inches in the vertical jump and a 101.16 Nike+ Football Rating. • Attended the U.S. Army All- American Combine in San Anto- nio on Jan. 5, 2017, and earned first-team All-America status from them. • Camped at Michigan on June 18, 2018. • Started playing football when he was 4 years old, despite not beginning school until he was 5. • His cousin A'Shon Riggins was a junior cornerback at Indiana in 2018, who has started 16 games during his three-year career in Bloomington. THEY SAID IT Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt: "Erick has really grown into the tight end position dur- ing his high school career, while maintaining his wide receiver playmaking ability. "He's an asset in the passing game, but not nec- essarily as an in-line blocker — you can, how- ever, split him out wide and have him create mis- matches against linebackers and safeties through the air." Fairfield head coach Jason Krause: "Erick pos- sesses a tremendous combination of athleticism and physicality, which makes him a versatile threat to defenses. He can run, catch and loves to block. "As good as he is, Erick's greatest attribute is his work ethic and competitiveness. He goes hard every rep, whether it's in the weight room, practice or on game night — he plans to win every rep he takes." Rivals.com rates All as a four-star talent and the No. 16 tight end in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM MARCH 2019 THE WOLVERINE 37 Fairfield head coach Jason Krause "I look back at his sophomore year and he started as a wide receiver for us at probably 6-2, 175 pounds. … He ended up blossoming into a kid that's almost 6-5 and 220 [pounds] by the time he left here."