The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 27 BY JOHN BORTON "He'll be playing on Sundays. When it's all said and done, one of the best tight ends to ever play here." — Jim Harbaugh on Luke Schoonmaker T he increasing frequency of the reverberation of "Schooooon!" around Michigan Stadium at- tests to the prescience of the head coach's words. Schoonmaker, the graduate student tight end whose name is pronounced "SKOON-may-kur," reached nickname status with some strong early outings in 2022. He's only grown in stature since, with senior Erick All's back surgery turn- ing most of the tight end focus onto the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder out of Hamden, Conn. Prior to the season, Harbaugh insisted All might be the top tight end in the na- tion, with Schoonmaker his chief com- petition. Or Schoonmaker might even be No. 1, with All at 1A. Schoonmaker sails mostly alone these days, with All in the football repair shop. The fifth-year Wolverine gets fed by sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy like five-cent slot machines by elderly retirees. Only senior wideout Ronnie Bell owns more catches and yards than Schoon- maker, who played in nine of U-M's first 10 games, posting 30 receptions for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns. The chain- movers and bigger plays are frequently met with the "Schooooon!" cheer by the home fans, a development Schoonmaker embraces. "It's cool to experience," he said of 110,000 bellowing his altered surname. "That definitely fires me up. Of course, everybody I talk to afterwards is like, 'Oh, I thought they were booing you, but it was your last name.' I get that all the time. But it's awesome. It's a cool feeling." It's also a cool feeling, no doubt, for a head coach to see the multi-year devel- opment of a tight end talent reaching the apex of his college career at just the right time. "He's put together a really good sea- son," Harbaugh said. "From early on, he was well trained, well prepared for it. He's just playing really well, really tough. "He plays hard. He does everything the team asks him to do — blocks, runs good routes, catches the ball, makes the tough catch. He's made some diving catches. He's doing an outstanding job." HOPING FOR A REPEAT, AND MORE Selecting the best day of one's life ranks as no small or light task, even when there are but 24 years of days from which to choose. It's no problem for Schoonmaker, who paired the zenith of his Michigan football experience — thus far — with the coming together of those who mean most to him. Schoonmaker revealed on the "Inside Michigan Football" podcast that last year's titanic showdown with the Buck- eyes in The Big House did indeed repre- sent that best day. The Wolverines' 42-27 victory amid the snow flurries — includ- ing 2 catches for 15 yards, along with some well-placed blocks by Schoonmaker — rose to the top of his list. "My first time running out [of the Michigan tunnel] had to be the most spe- cial," he initially stated. "But to tie it — or even be better — had to be Ohio State last year. To this day, it's the best day of my life. "I had a lot of family there. Everybody there that meant so much to me, and I know everybody else on the team [had loved ones there]. That day was so special for all of us. But I've since moved on from that, and I'm ready to do it again at their place this year." SCHOOOOON! Tight End Luke Schoonmaker Steps To The Fore Through 10 games this year, Schoonmaker had played in nine, all starts, and hauled in 30 receptions for 315 yards and 2 scores. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL