The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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L ittle by little this winter, word leaked of position changes Michi- gan was set to unveil in the spring, and the first four days of practice ac- cess showed redshirt freshman Zach Gentry move from quarterback to tight end, redshirt sophomore Chase Winovich from tight end to defensive end and junior Freddy Canteen to re- ceiver from cornerback, among a few others. "Zach Gentry is a big, tall guy, a big target," offensive coordinator Tim Drevno said. "He reminds me of Evan Moore, a guy we used to have at Stan- ford — that type of guy can split them out, take them down and is a good athlete. "I really like Zach. He's taken the bull by the horns, and being a team guy, he wants what's best for the team." The 6-7, 244-pound Gentry was a four-star quarterback at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, rushing for 1,013 yards and 26 touchdowns in addition to his passing success. He vacated competition at the QB position to fill a need at tight end after redshirt junior Khalid Hill moved to fullback. "We just felt like Zach had a good opportunity to play there," Drevno said. "It's not that we don't think he could be a quarterback. We felt we had a need at tight end. "I think kids have a lot of respect for us as coaches, and we work to- gether … they're team-oriented guys; we have such a great locker room that they say, 'Okay coach, whatever's best for the team.' That's been the great tradition at Michigan." The 6-3, 245-pound Winovich ap- peared in only six games during his redshirt freshman year, mostly on spe- cial teams, after missing time early in the season with injuries. He notched two tackles. In his prep career in Jef- MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Position Changes: Michigan Moves Zach Gentry To Tight End Gentry, a 6-7, 244-pound redshirt freshman that was a four-star recruit at quarterback, was moved to provide depth at tight end. PHOTO BY TIM SULLIVAN