The Wolverine

February 2022

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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30 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2022 Redshirt junior Luke Schoonmaker A strong red-zone target, the 6-5, 250-pounder hauled in 17 grabs for 165 yards and three touchdowns (tied for the team lead) in 2021, and has accumulated 219 yards and four scores in his career. BY CLAYTON SAYFIE DEPARTURES None RETURNERS Sixth-year senior Joel Honigford Mostly used as a blocker, the con- verted tackle played 313 snaps at tight end in 2021 and registered one catch for 10 yards. Junior Erick All He broke out in 2021, ranking second on the squad in both catches (38) and receiving yards (437) while adding two touchdowns. Over half of his receptions (20) went for first downs. Sophomore Matthew Hibner After not seeing any game action in 2020, he contributed on special teams and as a reserve tight end in eight con- tests this past season, but did not record any statistics. Redshirt freshman Louis Hansen He competed in one outing during his freshman season in 2021, and was named scout team player of the week on one occasion. He missed the last several weeks of the season due to an illness. NEWCOMERS Freshman Marlin Klein The 6-6, 215-pound four-star recruit was regarded as the No. 428 overall player and No. 20 tight end in his class, per the On3 Consensus. Freshman Colston Loveland The 6-5, 230-pounder earned four- star status on the On3 Consensus, and checked in as the No. 325 overall player and 16th-best tight end in his class, while being seen as the top recruit from Idaho. TIGHT ENDS 2022 LOOK AHEAD 2022 ANALYSIS Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said his unit "couldn't be who we are" without the tight ends, and he's right. On 970 offensive plays from scrimmage, Michigan used three-tight-end sets 62 times and was in two-tight-end formations on 357 occasions, accord- ing to Sports Info Solutions. That means there were multiple tight ends on the field on 43.2 percent of snaps. The position was key in opening up holes for a ground attack that averaged 215.4 yards per game (15th nationally), with All slotting second on the team among players who notched 50 or more run-blocking snaps with a 76.4 Pro Football Focus rating in the category. The group was also stellar in the pass game, ac- counting for 22.9 percent of the team's catches, 19.3 percent of its receiving yards and five of its 21 touch- down catches (23.8 percent). All received more targets (48) than all but one other pass-catcher on the team (wideout Cornelius John- son), while Schoonmaker ranked eighth with 23 op- portunities down the field. With the entire group — including Hansen and Hibner, who coaches insist have bright futures — remaining intact, plus an incoming duo in Klein and Loveland, the room will have an overdose of both tal- ent and experience this coming season. The downside to that, of course, is that it's a crowded group, with hungry players hoping to make big impacts. All, Schoonmaker and, to a lesser de- gree, Honigford are proven commodities who heav- ily contributed to a Big Ten championship-winning team, so it's hard to envision them giving way to the youngsters, but they'll want a role too. Needless to say, though, it's a great problem for position coach Jay Harbaugh and Co. to have. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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