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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It hasn’t been much of a topic this offseason, but Michigan’s tight ends figure to be a key option in the offense.
Though the unit had spent the first five years being a focal point under Jim Harbaugh, it took a step back in 2020, with Nick Eubanks having a mediocre showing while Erick All struggled to come down with catches. The latter was particularly surprising given we’ve heard about All’s penchant to catch everything in his radius, but his on-field case of the yips appear to be relegated solely to his 2020 in-game showings.
At Big Ten media days last month, Harbaugh didn’t mention the tight ends at all. However, on Friday, with a week of fall camp under the belt, Harbaugh insists that doesn’t mean anything about the position group as a whole, nor did it reflect what he’s seen from All particularly.
“I just haven’t had a chance to talk about him! Just love him!” Harbaugh said. “One of my very favorite players on the team. Competes like a maniac. Continued right back into camp. He’s got himself into great shape. Always stands out the way he blocks. And now he’s doing it with a bigger — it’s a bigger Erick All. He will just throw his body around. From his freshman year to his sophomore year, he was a skinnier variety, now he’s filling out and really brings some thump. And he’s really good running down the field catching the ball. He’s off to a really stellar camp. He sets the tone at that position.”
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But All won’t be the sole contributor, of course.
With Eubanks having moved onto the NFL as an undrafted free agent, other tight ends will need to step up. While fourth-year TE Luke Schoonmaker will figure in prominently, there are some other names that fans will need to know — including a former offensive lineman who has moved even further outside this year.
“Luke Schoonmaker is running so, so much better, so much faster,” Harbaugh said. “Catching the ball, blocking. He’s really elevated his game. The guy to watch out for is Hibner. Hibner is off to a blazing start in camp. Catching all the contested balls. Talk about being thin, he was thin last year compared to what he is now. Some great things coming from him.
“Joel Honigford, talk about a guy that’s changed his body, I mean it’s completely changed. You probably wouldn’t recognize him if he walks by. He was an offensive tackle in his 290s and now he’s 250s, low-250s. He’s running; he’s catching. He’s a real tight end.
“Carter Selzer, he’s the other player at that position. He’s in the rotation and doing a heckuva job.”
We’ll see how the tight ends perform come Sept. 4, when Michigan hosts Western Michigan for the 2021 season opener.
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