The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 65 "It stays the same," Loveland said. "It's Michigan football. It starts up front. We've got to be dominant up front, in the run game and the pass game. We've got talent on the outside. We've got a lot of young guys, new guys at positions, and everyone's doing really well. We're strong in a lot of things right now. "It's early on this offense. We've still got a lot of things to refine and perfect." Michigan offen- s ive co o rd i n a to r Kirk Campbell knows his way around tight end use, with the track record to back up that claim. He knows what he has in Love- land and a number of other players at the position. He has weapons, and he's pre- pared to unholster them. "I love tight ends," Campbell said. "You look at my history, I know some of the stats are out there, but when I was offensive co- ordinator at Alderson Broaddus, my tight ends had 197 catches in three years. My tight end at Old Dominion had 70-plus catches. "I love throwing the ball to tight ends. It's my job to get the ball to the best players on our team. Right now, Colston Loveland is one of those guys. [Junior tight end] Marlin Klein is going to be one of those guys. We've got a lot of them, and it's my job to get them the football. "Colston Loveland is the best tight end in the country. We've got to move him around, because teams are going to have a game plan to stop him. We'll be creative, making sure we have an opportunity." And of course, those looking in will be expecting huge numbers from the biggest name in the tight ends room. The man in the spotlight understands. He can't block out the attention, but he's channeling his own drive into the mix. "It can add pres- sure," Loveland ac- k n owl e d ge d . " B u t my expectations are so high that if I don't do that, I'm letting myself down, too. My expectations are already enough pressure. Playing at Michigan, there's always pres- sure. You're playing in front of big sta- diums, and you're playing in big games. I think pressure's good. It's good for the team, it's good for us, and when we prepare right, it helps us perform better." ❑ Michigan's Most Productive Tight Ends Of The Past 20 Years Tight end isn't a position where Michigan finds itself caught shorthanded very often. From Ron Kramer to Jim Mandich to Jerame Tuman, Eric Kattus, Derrick Walker, Bennie Joppru, Jake Butt and more, the Wolverines just keep on rolling. Junior Colston Loveland became the newest member of that elite club over the past couple of seasons, especially with a breakout statistical year on the way to Michigan's 2023 national championship. That backdrop alone ensures Loveland will rank with Tuman as Michigan tight ends who did their best work in an effort that led Michigan to the top. There's also no question Michigan's attention to getting the football to the tight ends picked up when Jim Harbaugh arrived in town. In fact, Michigan's top five most productive seasons for a tight end occurred in the past eight seasons. Here's a look at the top five, and their numbers. 1. Colston Loveland (2023) — Loveland's 45 receptions for 649 yards (14.4 average) and 4 touchdowns lead the field, and mark Michigan's best tight end performance since Jake Butt won the John Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end in 2016. Loveland's numbers — in terms of catches and average per reception — were even better than Butt's in his award-winning season. 2. Jake Butt (2016) — Butt earned his national honor at the top of the tight ends list by securing 45 catches for 546 yards (11.9 average) and 4 touchdowns. Butt noted he was so impressed by what Jim Harbaugh was building in Ann Arbor that he decided to forgo heading to the NFL after the 2015 campaign, leading to his mammoth year in 2016. 3. Erick All (2021) — All came through in a huge way in Michigan's break- through Big Ten championship season. He made 38 catches for 437 yards (11.5 average) with 2 touchdowns, including the memorable 47-yard breakaway TD grab against Penn State that helped the Wolverines secure a massive road victory. 4. Luke Schoonmaker (2022) — Schoonmaker made the most of his final season in a Michigan uniform, helping the Wolverines to a second straight Big Ten championship and playoff appearance. He secured 35 catches for 418 yards (11.9 average). Schoonmaker also snagged a pair of TD grabs. 5. Zach Gentry (2018) — Gentry's 16.1 yards per catch average stands as the highest on this list. He made 32 catches for 514 yards with a pair of touchdowns. — John Borton "He's relentless. He's a warrior. Sometimes I show the receivers, 'This is the best tight end in America, and this is what he's doing.'" WIDE RECEIVERS COACH RON BELLAMY, ON LOVELAND In 2016, Jake Butt became the first, and only, Wolverine to win the John Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL