The Wolverine

2021 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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78 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Sophomore Erick All finished last season fourth on the squad, and No. 1 among tight ends, with 12 catches, which gained 82 yards. PHOTO COURTESY U-M ATHLETICS [ T I G H T E N D S ] P otential can become one of the dirty words in sport. If it's not realized, the anticipation potential creates becomes one of the ultimate on-field frustrations. Sophomore tight end Erick All is determined he won't be remembered for his potential. He's got position mates and teammates as a whole who feel the same. All looks like the full package at tight end. He's 6-4, 229 pounds, can run, get open and could become the best friend of whoever winds up behind center for the Wolverines this fall. All just needs to deliver on Saturdays like he delivers in practice for his team. He certainly wasn't a washout in the COVID-shortened half-season of 2020. In fact, he was Michigan's fourth-leading receiver, best among its tight ends, with 12 catches, which went for 82 yards, a year ago. But with All, the story has been more about what could be, if only … According to teammates and coaches, All secures catches consistently in practice. The drops he's experienced in games leave them baffled, and generally assuring he's on the verge of moving forward in dominating fashion. If he does, Michigan gets a huge boost, and U-M foes encounter a formidable problem with which to deal. That's an "if" former Michi- gan tight-end-turned-All-American-tackle Jon Jansen believes All can eliminate. It's just a matter of getting it done. "Erick All, he's got all the tools," Jansen assured. "He's big, he's fast, he blocks well, he sets the edge. He can get in there and power block, team block with a tackle and get movement up front. "He can make all the catches, run all the routes. But it's about production on Saturdays." Jansen isn't just pointing out that fact for All, who remains crucial to the posi- tion production of the spot assistant coach Jay Harbaugh took back over this year. Jansen is talking about all of the Wolverines, and using the talented tight end as an illustration. When he says All, he means all. "When you go out there and you're playing against an opponent, and you've built up confidence in your quarterback and in [offensive coordinator] Josh Gattis calling a play where you know the ball is going to a tight end, and you've made that play time and time again — whether it's in spring ball or fall practice — you've got to make that play on Saturdays," Jansen said. "I think that's kind of a micro- cosm of this entire team. You can have great practices. You can have a great offseason. "If you can't take that from the practice field and transition it to The Big House, or Madison, Wis., or Columbus, Ohio, or East Lansing, 2020* — 22 catches, 199 yards, 1 TD 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 TIGHT END PRODUCTION FOR THE LAST 10 SEASONS * Only played six games due to COVID-19 pandemic CLUTCH AND GRAB Securing The Ball And Making Plays Highlight The To-Do List BY JOHN BORTON

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