The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 27 STATE OF THE OFFENSE shape. It's the best I've seen Mike look in his time here at Michigan." Don't overlook the other guard, ei- ther, Jansen cautioned. "Ben was bigger and stronger last year than he's ever been here at Mich- igan," he noted. "He's been able to maintain that strength but lean up a little bit so he can handle that increased pace of play. People will notice that." RUNNING BACKS Gattis insisted this group looked completely changed from the spring, when several sat out with injuries. With five running backs — Turner, Charbonnet, senior Tru Wilson, and redshirt freshmen Hassan Haskins and Ben VanSumeren — the new offensive coordinator said it's the deepest spot on the offense. "Tru Wilson has done a great job reshaping himself and using his ath- leticism," Gattis said. "We've seen Christian Turner's explosive capabili- ties, and Zach Charbonnet is having an outstanding camp as well. "Zach's maturity stood out right away to us, as did the way he is always in the weight room and in the coach's offices. He missed all of spring ball, but still hasn't made any mistakes in fall camp." Gattis gives credit to running backs coach Jay Harbaugh for the spring MIAs' ability to transition well into fall. Plus, Gattis cautioned not to sleep on Michigan's other backs. "Hassan Haskins is shining as well, and has great vision and great body control," he observed. "Ben VanSumeren is a 240-pound back with really good speed, which gives us five backs who can play with no drop off between them. I could give the ball to any of them in a fourth-and- one situation — I wouldn't dare pick just one though, because I truly believe all five could get it done for us. "I haven't seen one guy pull away from the group, and that's exciting to me. They all can make the cuts we need them to make and they all have good speed, though they'll all need to keep working on catching the ball." Jansen says Michigan knows what it's getting in Wilson — a reliable runner who rarely fumbles and likely is the best pass blocker of the bunch. He's also keeping his eye out for how Charbonnet develops. "The guy I'm really excited about is the freshman that came in, the early enrollee, Zach Charbonnet," Jansen said. "I think he's got all the talent in the world." TIGHT ENDS It doesn't get any better than best in the nation. Yes, Gattis went there with senior tight end Sean McKeon and red- shirt junior tight end Nick Eubanks. "Sean McKeon had one of the best springs I've ever seen from a tight end, and was one of our top two offensive players in the spring," Gattis offered, breaking some news. "The spring was a learning adjustment for Nick Eu- banks, where he showed his athletic ability but didn't quite fine-tune all the details. "We challenged him out of the spring, and I, hands down, believe he and Sean are the two best tight ends in the country. We also have [fresh- man] Erick All, [redshirt freshman] Mustapha Muhammad and [redshirt freshman] Luke Schoonmaker, which allows us to go five deep at tight end." Those players, combined with all around them, could add up to some- thing special, according to the one de- ciding on the ammo. "We have all the pieces necessary to build an explosive offense," Gattis assured. ❏ Five Questions To Consider On Offense Josh Gattis' enthusiasm energizes all around him. His schemes are ready to be unleashed on teams throughout the Big Ten and beyond. His chess pieces look formidable. None of that assures the first offensive series against Middle Tennessee State puts Michigan in the end zone. None of it guarantees the last offensive series of the regu- lar season features senior quarterback Shea Patterson kneeling in victory formation, locking down a spot in the Big Ten championship game. There are many questions to be answered first. Here are five that leap out: 1. Will Michigan stay healthy on offense? This obviously is no routine academic exercise, an unlikely reach into what-ifs. A host of Wolverines sat out spring football with various injuries. They're back, but will they stay that way? Michigan's wideouts and running backs in particular have some injury issues on their bios. If those stay in the rearview mirror, the Wolverines will feature deep, and deeply talented, skill-position weapons to throw at foes. It doesn't mean a thing if it's sitting on the bench or waylaid in the training room. Like everyone else, Michigan needs to stay healthy to win. 2. Can Shea Patterson be the Big Ten's best quarterback? It says here, he's got a shot. The notion that he'll be turned loose in Gattis' offense — with a good dose of Jim Harbaugh's low-turnover training in the back of his mind — bodes well for the senior signal-caller. Patterson has an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver. From rangy pass catch- ers like redshirt sophomore Tarik Black and juniors Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins to more compact targets such as sophomore Ronnie Bell and true freshman Mike Sainristil, the veteran passer can pick from a host of talented targets. That includes a tight end combo tabbed by Gattis as the nation's best. Is a 3,000- yard passing year by Patterson in the offing? Don't bet against it. 3. Will this be Tarik Black's year? Black has essentially lost two seasons so far to foot injuries affecting each of his erstwhile jets. In flashes of action, he looks like he could be an All-American. Gattis said he has been a standout in camp thus far. If he can stay on the field, look out. That's been too big an if his first two seasons. 4. Is Michigan's offensive line for real? When the Wolverines were going through Big Ten championships like Buckeyes go- ing through free tattoo ink, they did so behind dominant offensive lines. Second-year Michigan line coach Ed Warinner made a huge difference last season. The next step just might elevate the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship — or more. 5. Will it all mesh? Gattis has been exposed to incredible offensive minds and offenses. Now he gets to pull all the levers. There's one football, and no lack of willing hands. If it comes together, Michigan could be scary again. — John Borton