The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/835590
80 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW TIGHT ENDS TIGHT ENDS head coach (John Harbaugh) or the men inside the Michigan meeting rooms. Everyone competes, and that includes the tight ends, Frey noted. There will be a sifting-out process through fall camp and into the season, and Michigan's coaches will be watching it very carefully. "What's beautiful about Coach Harbaugh is every position is being challenged and every position is open," Frey said. "We'll find out, when we get to game time, who the guys are." That's not the only beautiful thing, Frey is quickly discovering. The key for any offensive player, Frey no- ted, involves becoming someone with whom a defender cannot take a millisecond of re- spite. "When you're talking tight ends, and you're talking our offense, the run game isn't very far off from tackles and tight ends," he said. "When you get the pass game, being an athlete is being an athlete. "The ability to make a defender uncom- fortable — whether it's releasing on a route, blocking, doing those things — is a key. And it doesn't matter what position you play." Frey has repeatedly insisted he likes his own position at the moment. "Michigan is just an outstanding place," Frey said. "That's why you come back. Work- ing for Coach Harbaugh is unbelievable … "You're coming in here with this outstand- ing person with great vision. I love how we attack life outside the box. Going to Rome? I've been in college football in some way, shape or form since I was 15, and I never would have thought of that. "To be around a person whose mind really wants to put the college back into college football, the student back into student-athlete, it's been outstanding. Not that there aren't other guys that are good, but being around him and seeing how he thinks has been phe- nomenal." No doubt, Harbaugh thinks about Michi- gan's tight ends helping get the Wolverines over the top in 2017. That's Frey's respon- sibility, as far as their instruction, and he doesn't need to reach far for an example of what they should strive to be. Now, it's a matter of getting it done — no ifs, ands or Butts about it. ❏ Redshirt junior Ian Bunting flashed his potential with a career-best three receptions for 40 yards versus Florida State in the Orange Bowl. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Word came right along with Jim Harbaugh that the Wolverines would be back to the days in which tight ends could expect to see the football coming their way. That's been more than borne out over the course of two seasons. Not only did Jake Butt cap a career that made him Michigan's all-time leader in receptions and yardage for a tight end, the overall numbers by the Wolverines are way up. The bigger bodies on the outside went from almost strictly blockers to receiving threats. The Wolverines have, in fact, posted their three best receiving seasons by tight ends over the past 10 years in just the last four seasons alone. Devin Funchess (49 catches for 748 yards and six touchdowns) mightily boosted the tight end numbers for the 2013 Wolver- ines, before he was officially declared a wide receiver for the 2014 campaign. Had he remained a tight end, Michigan would have reeled off four consecutive seasons with 650 or more receiving yards by that group. Here's a look at the combined tight end totals over the past 10 seasons: TIGHT END PRODUCTION FOR THE LAST 10 SEASONS 2016 — 59 catches, 667 yards, 6 TD 2015 — 72 catches, 926 yards, 3 TD 2014 — 8 catches, 70 yards, 0 TD 2013 — 70 catches, 985 yards, 9 TD 2012 — 19 catches, 271 yards, 5 TD 2011 — 24 catches, 253 yards, 4 TD 2010 — 19 catches, 266 yards, 3 TD 2009 — 20 catches, 264 yards, 3 TD 2008 — 8 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD 2007 — 27 catches, 327 yards, 2 TD It will be interesting to see if the Wolverines can maintain the bigger numbers in the wake of the personnel losses. Butt accounted for 97 catches and 1,200 yards of the 131 receptions and 1,593 yards Michigan tight ends accumulated over the past two seasons combined. The Wolverines don't have anyone on the present roster who has caught more than five passes in a season or accounted for more than 72 yards in a single year. The production gap stands wide open to be filled, with a cast of characters who have been on the field, but not in a targeted spotlight. Butt wound up with two of the top 10 single- season receiving efforts ever by a Michigan tight end. Here's a list the present Wolverines might be seeking a spot on, given the opportunity at hand: SINGLE-SEASON TIGHT END RECEPTION LEADERS 1. Bennie Joppru, 53 catches, 2002 2. Jake Butt, 51 catches, 2015 3. Jim Mandich, 50 catches, 1969 4. Devin Funchess, 49 catches, 2013 5. Jake Butt, 46 catches, 2016 6. Jim Mandich, 43 catches, 1968 7. Sim Nelson, 41 catches, 1983 7. Jay Riemersma, 41 catches, 1995 9. Sim Nelson, 40 catches, 1985 10. Eric Kattus, 38 catches, 1985 10. Tony McGee, 38 catches, 1992 — John Borton "As a tight ends coach, I certainly don't mind throwing the ball 60 times a game. The more catches we get, the more fun we have." GREG FREY Michigan Tight Ends Are Producing Big Numbers