Can’t wait to see this guy in action! #GoBlue
Michigan football will have something of a new-look tight end group compared to the last two years when it’s entered the season with Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker being the primary weapons on the ends of the offensive line. Schoonmaker was drafted and All transferred, and while Colston Loveland asserted himself late in the season last year, the Wolverines needed at least one more player to step up.
They could have stayed in-house and depended on senior Matthew Hibner, who was a former four-star from Burke, Virginia. However, the maize and blue brought in a player they think is a ringer in former Indiana tight end A.J. Barner.
Barner wasn’t necessarily a high-profile transfer, but he is well-thought-of. The coaches in Bloomington had verbalized that they anticipated he’d become the best ever Hooseir tight end, but then didn’t throw the ball to him much. Still, he asserted himself as a team captain before deciding to come to Ann Arbor.
In the spring game in April, we caught a glimpse of how dominant he can be, and his position coach, Grant Newsome said that it’s a testament to his character and work ethic.
“He’s just worked, which is amazing,” Newsome said. “The best compliment you can give someone who would come in — and especially, like you said, a guy whose was a two-year captain there, two or three-year starter, played a ton of football in the Big Ten. I mean, shoot — he caught an impressive touchdown against Ohio State.
“So a guy who’s kind of been there and done that, for him to come in and there was never any arrogance or cockiness. Or, ‘Oh, hey, it’s my room now.’ He just kind of put his head down and worked and learned and it’s just a guy who’s always asking what more he can do, how he can improve. And he’s meshed extremely well with it with the team and the room.”
Of course, the big question is: can he block?
It’s the same thing being asked of Loveland, who arrived in Ann Arbor as more of a receiver than a blocker. IU wasn’t necessarily running a ton until late in the year, but Newsome says that Barner has a lot of capability in both being able to catch the ball as well as blocking when called upon.
“We’re very fortunate that he’s got all the physical tools to do it, he’s got the strength,” Newsome said. “And beyond that, he’s got the experience, even though they didn’t do a ton of (throwing to him) in Indiana. He knows what it’s like cutting off a backside defensive end of this conference. It’s a lot easier said than done. Or, we joke as coaches, it’s one of those things that looks really easy when you’re drawing them up on the board. But when you actually do it, it’s a lot harder. So we’re fortunate.
“He’s got that experience and obviously still planning stuff he’s got to improve on and he works at that, but we’re very fortunate to have him.”
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