The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1094509
APRIL 2019 THE WOLVERINE 37 2019 SPRING FOOTBALL PREVIEW. TIGHT ENDS BY THE NUMBERS 19.6 Yards per catch posted by Nick Eubanks, the highest average by any receiver on the team last year. 54 Combined catches by M ichigan tight ends in 2018, tied for the lowest total since Jim Harbaugh became head coach. 279 Receiving yards posted by Michigan's returning tight ends. Zach Gentry put up nearly twice that total, with his 514 last fall. 793 Total yards gained on re- ceptions by tight ends last year. It marked the third- highest total recorded by the position in the last 21 seasons, dating back to the start of the 1998 cam- paign. The 54 catches tied for sixth during that same time period. POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH Gattis noted after his hiring that Michigan will be "multiple" at times in its deployment. But if it turns out that there is primar- ily one tight end on the field as a steady diet, or at times none, being No. 1 takes on extra impor- tance. Eubanks could rise up and grab that spot, but McKeon isn't go- ing away without a fight, and the second-year tight ends are figur- ing it's their time to see the field. The battle for No. 1 will be fierce. WHO'S GONE ZACH GENTRY Gentry cast his lot with the NFL following a redshirt junior season in which he emerged as Michigan's third-leading receiver. His 32 catches for 514 yards and two touchdowns will need to be replaced in some fashion, and finding an- other 6-8 target won't be easy. WHO'S BACK SENIOR SEAN MCKEON McKeon made 14 catches for 122 yards and one touchdown in 2018, leading the rest of the pack after Gentry drew the most Shea Patterson fire. The fourth-year Wolverine will look to carve out a spot in new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' attack. REDSHIRT JUNIOR NICK EUBANKS Michigan's most physically imposing tight end at 6-5, 252, Eubanks looks like he could split out as a receiver and create matchup issues. He made eight catches for 157 yards and one touchdown last fall. REDSHIRT FRESHMAN MUSTAPHA MUHAMMAD Muhammad looks the part, at 6-4, 245. He's yet to see the field after putting in a redshirt season as a freshman, but will look to catch Gattis' eye early. REDSHIRT FRESHMAN LUKE SCHOONMAKER Schoonmaker is in the same boat as Muham- mad, although he played in one game as a true freshman. At 6-6, 231, he'd like to cause some havoc for smaller defensive backs. TOP NEWCOMER FRESHMAN ERICK ALL All comes out of Fairfield, Ohio, at 6-4, 225. He'll see plenty of more experienced competi- tion ahead of him, but will be in his first year of Gattis' offense right along with the rest. BY JOHN BORTON "There is nobody, in my estimation, at the tight end position that is more flexible than Sean McKeon. His ability to turn back and get his hips turned back toward the quarterback so he can give Shea Patterson a big target is great, and he can make that catch and turn up field. That's not an easy skill to employ." — Former U-M All-American Jon Jansen QUOTABLE M ichigan's tight ends must be wondering what's in store for them, given the Wolverines' change in offensive coordinators. Any move to more three- or four-wideout sets might impact their opportunity. That remains to be seen. What's not in dispute centers on the fact that there's still tight end talent on hand, despite one early defection to the NFL. Now it's a matter of how it will be deployed, and who steps forward to take advantage of how everything unfolds. Needless to say, this battle could intensify. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL SEAN MCKEON