The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 69 [ T I G H T E N D S ] "He is a really, really special athlete. His mentality … we have to try to pull him back sometimes, because he just wants to kill everything. He just wants to hit, hit, hit. "That's great, and we're trying to be smart about that … but you'd much rather be trying to pull someone back than having to constantly push them forward." There's definitely no fear when All takes the field, Newsome insisted. "He's got the mentality that you could line up Shaquille O'Neal across the field from him and say, "Hey, you go slice block that guy.' He'd come out and say, 'Cool!' And then he'd come off and say, 'Yeah, he's a coward!' which is something you've got to love." There's no lack of love for a performer who will significantly bolster an already imposing crew of pass catchers for the Wolverines. "He is a unique talent," Karsch offered. "You don't come in as a true fresh- man, like he did a couple of years ago, and impact the game more in the trenches than you do as a pass catcher. "Then there were some growing pains, but he started to make some elite, in- traffic catches last year, with guys draped all over him, when he was about to take a hit, when the ball was there when he turned his head around." Karsch witnessed one of those up close. "He had one catch against Michigan State, where [senior quarterback] Cade [McNamara] delivered the ball early," Karsch recalled. "And Erick All, with a defender draped on his back, turned around and, at field level, you could really appreciate how quickly that ball got upon him. "He just snatched it out of the air. It was an elite throw and an elite catch that gained 8 yards. But it was probably underappreciated, as to how it spoke to his ability. "I think that guy can be a first-team All-American this year." VETERAN SAVVY, YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE While All's catches most of the headlines, he's no one-man show in the tight end room. Schoonmaker made 17 catches for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns last PRESEASON ANALYSIS: STARTER ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Tight end will be a strength of the offense this season thanks to senior Erick All, who had his breakout campaign in 2021. He received All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches and media after a 38-catch, 437-yard and 2-touch- down campaign. All toughed it out through an ankle injury down the stretch and played winning football for the Wolverines. He projects to be a focal point of the passing game this season. DEPTH Luke Schoonmaker returned for a fifth season, which will pay massive dividends on the depth chart. Joel Honigford and Carter Selzer round out the upperclassman portion as reserve sixth-year pieces. The intrigue comes with sophomore Louis Han- sen and freshman Colston Loveland. Each physi- cally looks the part and will have an opportunity to grab the baton from All and others for 2023 starter consideration. This is as deep as the tight end group has ever been under Jim Harbaugh. OVERALL ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ As long as U-M wants to be balanced on of- fense, the tight ends are going to be a large part of that. They have a pair of reliable ones in All and Schoonmaker, and guys that are willing to do the dirty work in Honigford and Selzer. There is still plenty to unlock here, especially with the young players. Look for more consistent tight end usage this season from a position group that could be a dark horse for the offense's best. All finished last year with 38 receptions, just one off the team-leading total posted by junior wideout Cornelius Johnson. He was also second with 437 receiving yards. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL "It feels like Jim Harbaugh's best teams are loaded at the tight end spot. These guys are going to get opportunities." MICHIGAN RADIO FOOTBALL PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER DOUG KARSCH Jake Butt set the standard for Michigan tight end play under Jim Har- baugh. In fact, Harbaugh impressed Butt so much in the 2015 season, he stuck around to become the John Mackey Award winner as the nation's top tight end in 2016. Now, Michigan features a veteran tight end with a chance to give Butt a run for his money in the hardware department. Butt earned first-team All-America honors in his senior season, so named by the Walter Camp Foundation, the American Football Coaches Association and Sports Illustrated. Already, some are saying that U-M senior tight end Erick All could potentially reach that stratosphere. Butt's numbers in his Mackey Award senior campaign were certainly impressive. He secured 46 catches for 546 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Wolverines, one year after making 51 grabs for 654 yards and 3 TDs as a junior. All wouldn't have to make that big of a leap statistically in 2022 to be living in Butt's old neighborhood. With 38 catches for 437 yards and a pair of touchdowns last year, All announced his presence in a big way, despite suffering an in-season high-ankle sprain which cost him a game and slowed him temporarily. He'll certainly be a featured target and potential security blanket for Michigan quarterbacks. He was precisely that in one of the Wolverines' most desperate moments last year, when his 47-yard touchdown catch helped Michigan fend off Penn State in State College, 21-17. Without that victory, the Wolverines would have finished second in the Big Ten East to Ohio State, despite beating the Buckeyes in the final game of the regular season. In other words, All racked up some of his biggest numbers when the Wolverines absolutely needed them. All also plays some of the most physical ball around, harkening back even to his work as a freshman. He's a hitter, whether he gets the football or not. Another Mackey Award winner? There's a long road to march before that even becomes a serious consideration. There's no question, though, the fourth-year Wolverine could factor into the conversation as one of Michi- gan's best-ever tight ends — no Butts about it. — John Borton Erick All Can Put Himself Among Michigan's Top Tight Ends