The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/813087
MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 23 one possible alternative to Jabrill Pep- pers' wildcat quarterback scenarios from last season. Evans saw limited action, having already logged a strong spring, while scrimmage teammate Higdon carried the load, rushing 12 times for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns. For the Maize team — which pulled out a 31-29 thriller on April 15 — Isaac rushed five times for 47 yards, with a 28-yard TD bolt. He's been running more physically this spring, something Michigan's coaches have been looking to see. Meanwhile, the fullbacks feature a pair of veterans in fifth-year seniors Khalid Hill and Henry Poggi. Hill be- came Michigan's designated one-yard battering ram when it was touchdown time in 2016, and both can catch the ball out of the backfield. In the spring game, Hill made one 16-yard catch. TIGHT ENDS This position took a major hit in the offseason. All-American tight end Jake Butt graduated, leaving the Wolverines without the most productive Michigan player of all time at that particular po- sition. Then promising freshman Devin Asiasi opted to move back closer to his California home, leaving the door wide open for others to step up. Redshirt junior Ian Bunting did so after Butt's knee injury in the Orange Bowl, snagging three passes for 40 yards versus the Seminoles. He looked to parlay that performance into a big- ger role this spring. Meanwhile, sophomore Sean McKeon, redshirt sophomore Zach Gentry, redshirt sophomore Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and sophomore Nick Eu- banks came into spring seeking to es- tablish themselves for the fall. Gentry flashes speed and pass- catching ability, while Wheatley has the size (6-6, 276) to be a powerful blocker. The others combine those el- ements to some degree, and can still improve throughout the summer and into the fall. In the spring game, Gentry some- how eluded all pass coverage, sprint- ing away for a 55-yard touchdown on a short toss by Peters. McKeon caught two passes for 22 yards, Eu- banks hauled in a pair of passes for 18 yards and Wheatley grabbed one for 15 yards. WIDE RECEIVERS The departure of Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson opened a world of op- portunity for the Wolverines' talented younger receivers. Several stepped into the breach, although some were slowed by injury. Those seeing some down time in- cluded the nation's No. 1 prep wide- out in 2017, Donovan Peoples-Jones. While he posted off-the-charts marks in Michigan's pre-spring competitions and wowed Speight with his pass- catching prowess early, Peoples-Jones didn't get in a full spring. His early ar- riving freshman classmate, Tarik Black, saw a longer run and impressed many onlookers. But the Wolverines feature several who will compete for the catches Dar- boh, Chesson and Butt left behind. Sophomores Kekoa Crawford, Eddie McDoom and Nate Johnson are three 2016 rookies who all turned heads in the spring, while redshirt juniors Mau- rice Ways and oft-injured Drake Har- ris (again this spring) are vying to see more snaps. McDoom caught a handful of passes last year, but mostly sped away from opponents on jets sweeps, going for 160 yards and 16 tries. He insists there's more to his game than that. "I'm more than just the fast guy who can run," McDoom said during the spring. "I've got hands. I've been showing it a little bit out there, but I'm going to show it a lot more this year. "I can go downfield, I can read the routes, I can make the catches, I can make the big plays they're asking for, and I'm trying to show it." Johnson also drew praise for his moves and elusiveness, with Peoples- Jones joining Crawford and McDoom as three of the fastest Wolverines on the team. In the spring game, Black stood out, making four catches for 50 yards, including a touchdown for the Blue team. Teammates Peoples-Jones (two catches, seven yards) and McDoom (one catch, 29 yards) also got in on the action. McDoom silenced the crowd on his catch, going down with injury and getting helped off the field, but later reports made the injury sound as if it wasn't going to be a long-term issue. Ways caught two passes for seven yards for the Maize, while Johnson (one for 14) and Crawford (one for 8) each logged a catch. Walk-on Nate Schoenle, a sophomore out of Plym- outh, Mich., drew some attention with two catches for 58 yards, including a 40-yarder. ❏ Early-enrollee freshman Tarik Black led all receivers with four catches, which gained 50 yards and a touchdown, in the spring game to cap off a strong first semester in Ann Arbor. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL