The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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76 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW McKeon's hard work paid off in the spring, putting him on the fast track to be- coming the all-around tight end Gattis can adeptly implement. "Sean, as a blocker, has been really good, like he's always been," noted tight ends coach Sherrone Moore. "His receiving ability, catching the ball in traffic, making the hard catches, making the competitive catches … have improved to the point where [senior viper] Khaleke [Hudson] came up to me and said, 'Man, Sean's gotten so much better.' "I said, 'Yeah, he has.' It's been a credit to him and what he's done this offseason. He hasn't had any drops. He's plucked the ball and made the competitive catches. I'm really proud of him as a receiver." Former Michigan tight-end-turned-All- American-tackle Jon Jansen noticed as well. Jansen points out that McKeon appears to be the most flexible U-M tight end on the ros- ter, able to contort and make catches while racing downfield. "He's a guy that gives you so many op- tions in the pass game," Jansen said. "He will, at times, make the quarterback look extremely good, because of the balls that he can catch that other guys can't, just because they can't turn around like he can." That's no small issue in Michigan's new offense. With the U-M wide receiving corps getting healthy, senior quarterback Shea Pat- terson can spread the football all over the field. Throws — particularly to tight ends — must be earned. "Sean has really done his part when his number is called," Moore said. "But this year, we're going to have so many playmak- ers, it's going to be hard to key on one guy. If you want to try to stop Sean, you're going to have to deal with [junior wideout] Donovan [Peoples-Jones]. If you want to try to stop Donovan, you're going to have to deal with [junior wideout] Nico [Collins], [redshirt junior tight end] Nick [Eubanks] or all the other guys we've got. "Sean has really taken the part of trying to be that security blanket for Shea." When Gattis came on board, McKeon admitted turning his attention to the new OC's last stop. What he saw certainly didn't discourage him as a tight end. Instead, the possibilities motivated him. Alabama tight end Irv Smith secured 44 catches for 710 yards and seven touchdowns while the Crimson Tide steamed toward the national championship game. Not everyone carries Smith's ability, but he clearly showed the opportunity is there for a highly capable performer under Gattis. "I watched a lot of film on Irv Smith from Alabama last year," McKeon said. "He had a really great year, and he succeeded in the same offense we're running. I'm definitely excited to hopefully do something like that." New World On Offense McKeon doesn't exactly view change on offense as jarring. In fact, it's been a constant in his seasons at Michigan. From Jedd Fisch to Tim Drevno to Pep Hamilton having sig- nificant input on Jim Harbaugh's offenses, to the keys getting handed over to Gattis, the senior has experienced plenty. "Being here four years, I've seen al- most anything that can be thrown at you," McKeon noted. "You've just got to study, learn all the signals, learn all the different names. You've got to go home every night and study on your iPad." The senior likes what he sees developing in this particular attack in several ways. With a versatile quarterback like Patterson, the more choices the better, McKeon insisted. "It gives Shea options," he said. "We're never in a bad look with an RPO. They stop the run, or they try to blitz, then the throw is open. If they try to cover the throw, the run is open. That's the biggest difference. "It's simple for us, but maybe more com- plicated for the quarterbacks, knowing when McKeon's 47 career receptions are the second most on the 2019 roster, while his 433 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs both rank third. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN "Sean, as a blocker, has been really good, like he's always been. His receiving ability, catching the ball in traffic, making the hard catches, making the competitive catches … have improved to the point where [senior viper] Khaleke [Hudson] came up to me and said, 'Man, Sean's gotten so much better.'" TIGHT ENDS COACH SHERRONE MOORE