The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1265378
THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 75 TIGHT ENDS FYI Nick Eubanks' four touchdown receptions in 2019 are tied for the ninth most by a tight end in a single season in school history. He has five career scores and needs one more to tie former team- mate Sean McKeon and two others for 10th on U-M's career touchdowns by a tight end list. Tight ends have hauled in seven passes of 40 yards or more during head coach Jim Harbaugh's time in Ann Arbor, and Eubanks has two of them. He pulled down a 48-yarder in a win over Florida in Arlington, Texas, in 2017 and brought in a 41-yard touchdown in a 2018 win over Indiana. Jake Butt's 56-yarder against Rutgers in 2015 remains the longest tight end reception of the Har- baugh era. The tight ends had 542 receiving yards as a group last season, or four less than All-American Jake Butt posted during his senior season in 2016, when he won the Mackey Award as the nation's best at his position (he racked up 654 the year prior). The 2019 total was the lowest combined receiving yardage in the Harbaugh era and only 28 more than Zach Gentry put up in 2018. Matt Hibner had no scholarship offers and was not ranked by recruiting services following his junior season at Burke (Va.) Lake Braddock. He blossomed into one of the nation's top student-athletes, carrying a 4.3 grade-point average and earning 31 offers and being awarded four stars by 247Sports. The Washington Post reported he has never earned a B in his life and scored an impressive 1,400 on his SAT. ing that was typical of a freshman. It's also to his advantage that he arrived at Michigan just as Gattis was taking over. "Erick and the rest of the freshmen had no preconceived notion of what a college offense was. All they know is Josh Gattis' offense," Jansen said. "To be able to have that as your base and build on it and not have any bad habits coming in or any ideas of 'this was better when we did it this way' … it's all speed in space. "When you have the ability to grow in that and don't have any of the baggage from the previous offense, I think it's a huge advan- tage for those guys." Schoonmaker (6-6, 242) had one year with the old system before Gattis arrived, but he adapted quickly. He hauled in two passes for 54 yards, and while he didn't play a lot, he made the most of his opportunities. The redshirt sophomore's first touchdown, a 25-yard reception at Illinois, proved to be a big play in the 42-25 win. His hands alone should afford him more chances in 2020, Jansen said. "When you're talking about that position it's all about trust. Who are we going to put out there that we trust?" he asked. "Obvi- ously, Eubanks is going to be the first one they put out there, but when they start getting into the run game and start thinking, 'Who's going to be our second weapon … who's go- ing to catch the ball?' — Luke is going to be a huge piece of the puzzle this year. "If you can catch the ball, you're going to be one of the guys out there the majority of the time. That's going to be the No. 1 asset that anybody who is a pass receiver has to have." Depth beyond the big three will have to come from a walk-on or scholarship fresh- man Matt Hibner, who arrived later on the recruiting scene but earned his offer during a huge senior year. The Burke, Va., native "The offense is built to give the tight ends great opportunities in the pass game. But if they want to be the one who gets their number on the field and be the one that gets their name called for the NFL Draft, they've got to prove that they can set the edge." FORMER MICHIGAN ALL-AMERICAN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN JON JANSEN 2019 — 41 catches, 542 yards, 7 TD 2018 — 54 catches, 793 yards, 4 TD 2017 — 54 catches, 697 yards, 5 TD 2016 — 59 catches, 667 yards, 6 TD 2015 — 72 catches, 926 yards, 3 TD 2014 — 8 catches, 70 yards, 0 TD 2013 — 70 catches, 985 yards, 9 TD 2012 — 19 catches, 271 yards, 5 TD 2011 — 24 catches, 253 yards, 4 TD 2010 — 19 catches, 266 yards, 3 TD Fifth-year senior Nick Eubanks led his position group last year with 25 receptions for 243 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games played. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL TIGHT END PRODUCTION FOR THE LAST 10 SEASONS