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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When 2020 Burke (VA) Lake Braddock tight end Matthew Hibner committed to Michigan back in June 2019, many fans asked, ‘Who?’ As the Wolverines chased higher-profile players who ended up elsewhere in the early going, Hibner was ranked the 1,007th-best prospect in the country overall at the time that he pledged to become a Wolverine.
However, just because you’re not a hot name in the eyes of recruitniks doesn’t mean you aren’t a real ballplayer.
Such is the case for Hibner, who got reevaluated by 247Sports, who became much higher on him as the year progressed. By the time he arrived in Ann Arbor, the once-three-star had not only risen to the ranks of a four-star, but he topped out at No. 133 overall in the 2020 recruiting cycle — and that’s No. 133 in the national ranking, not regionally nor by position.
Given that Sean McKeon went on to the NFL and was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, Hibner has an opportunity to see the field early. However, the Michigan coaching staff is working him in slowly with Nick Eubanks, Erick All, Luke Schoonmaker and Carter Selzer taking the bulk of reps thus far. Once he gets some size on him, the coaching staff is confident he could be a major player in the future.
“Hibby’s doing great! He’s just continuing to get – for him right now, the progression is to get bigger, to get stronger,” Moore said. “He’s a natural ball catcher, he’s a tough kid. He’s a smart, tough, cerebral kid. He’ll be a guy who will for sure have a role in the next coming years. He’s just gonna continue to develop. Right now, he’s on the scout team, doing a really good job with those guys, working the fundamentals. Working right now to be stronger and bigger.”
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Assuming Eubanks goes pro after this year — which is his fifth with the program — then Hibner will get that much more of an opportunity in 2021. But, the Wolverines also bring in Louis Hansen, a four-star tight end from Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s in the 2021 recruiting class.
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