The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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80 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW TIGHT ENDS TIGHT ENDS "He's not necessarily going to be the guy who lines up next to a tackle and base blocks defensive ends in the Big Ten, but he can absolutely be a guy who is pretty effective if you run into an odd-front defense, blocking an outside linebacker," Skene said. "He's the guy who you're going to be able to use to take advantage of some open-space, down- the-field type of stuff." Three freshmen will add to the competi- tion this fall, and Moore has seen plenty of film on each. Hamden (Conn.) Hall Country Day's Luke Schoonmaker is in the Gentry mold — long and athletic at 6-6, 229 — while Traverse City (Mich.) West's Ryan Hayes already stands 6-7, 262 with the frame to grow. Rivals.com ranked both as three-star prospects. The gem might be Mustapha Muhammad, a 6-5, 244-pounder out of Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point. He's a four-star and Rivals' No. 17 tight end nationally — though ESPN ranked him as highly as the No. 42 overall prospect in the land. "He's a kid with high upside, a very smart kid, very sharp, comes from a really good family," Moore said. "I think he can bring a different aspect of athletic prowess. "He has great ball skills, great speed and athletic ability. He'll just bring a different flash. He's a really good player, [and brings] new life and new blood to the team and to the room." It's a crowded room now, just the way Moore likes it. He went from a season in which he could barely find a tight end at Central Michigan after his returning starter was hurt in the preseason to a coach in Harbaugh who has made a living employing them in his offense. "I was joking with someone that I've never had so many guys in a room," Moore said. "I'm extremely proud of the fact that Coach Harbaugh loves tight ends that much. "I went through spring one time with two tight ends, so this is a change." A welcome one, at that. ❏ Zach Gentry And Sean McKeon Hold A Unique Distinction Michigan has had its share of outstanding tight ends over the years, including All-Americans, great blockers and even combina- tions that went on to long NFL careers (Jerame Tuman and Mark Campbell, 1995-98). None, though, accomplished what Zach Gentry and Sean McKeon did in 2017. Last season was a unique one for the Michigan passing game in a number of respects. The U-M offense managed only nine touch- down passes, the fewest since the Wolverines ran the wishbone in 1975, due in large part to injuries to quarterbacks Wilton Speight and Brandon Peters, and wide receiver Tarik Black. The lack of experienced wide receivers opened the door for Mich- igan's tight ends, and Gentry and McKeon responded to become the first tight end duo in U-M's recent history to record 300-plus yards in the same season. Gentry put up 303 yards, averaging an impressive 17.8 yards per catch, while McKeon managed 301, tak- ing care of the shorter and more intermediate routes in averaging 9.7 yards per grab. Only a handful of tight ends have individually hauled in more than the 604 combined yards Gentry and McKeon managed last year: Devin Funchess in 2013 (748), Jim Mandich in 1969 (662), Jake Butt in 2015 (654) and Doug Marsh in 1979 (612). Both Gentry and McKeon seem primed to have their best years in a Michigan uniform. Some believe Gentry, in particular, could crack the top 10 for single-season yardage (Sim Nelson, 1983, is currently 10th with 494 yards). Interestingly, he's still got work to do just to become U-M's most accomplished former quarterback turned tight end. Jay Riemersma, a nine-year NFL tight end with the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steel- ers, made the switch in 1994 and managed 336 receiving yards, besting it a year later with 370. Riemersma ranks sixth in career receptions for a tight end with 74, and he accomplished it in only two seasons. Gentry has 17 grabs in two years, with two more seasons to add to his total. McKeon, meanwhile, has 33 catches, also with two years to pad the stats. — Chris Balas ROSTER No. Name Ht. Wt. Year Elig. Hometown (High School) 86 Conner Edmonds* 6-5 252 Jr. Jr. Richfield, Wis. (Germantown) 82 Nick Eubanks 6-5 240 Jr. So. Plantation, Fla. (American Heritage) 34 Kenneth Ferris* 6-5 244 Sr. Sr. Fowlerville, Mich. (Fowlerville) 38 Joseph Files* 6-4 247 Sr. Sr. Lake Orion, Mich. (Cranbrook Kingwood) 83 Zach Gentry 6-7 248 Sr. Jr. Albuquerque, N.M. (Eldorado) — Ryan Hayes 6-7 262 Fr. Fr. Traverse City, Mich. (Traverse City West) 45 William Holton* 6-4 214 Jr. Jr. Haslett, Mich. (Haslett) 37 Bradford Jones* 6-3 237 5th. Sr. Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Brother Rice) 84 Sean McKeon 6-5 248 Jr. Jr. Dudley, Mass. (Shepherd Hill Regional) — Mustapha Muhammad 6-4 244 Fr. Fr. Missouri City, Texas (Ridge Point) — Luke Schoonmaker 6-6 229 Fr. Fr. Hamden, Conn. (Hamden Hall Country Day) 82 Carter Selzer* 6-8 222 So. So. Kansas City, Mo. (Rockhurst) 94 Ryan Veingrad* 6-4 248 So. So. Boca Raton, Fla. (Spanish River) 17 Tyrone Wheatley Jr. 6-6 265 Sr. Jr. Buffalo, N.Y. (Canisius) * Walk-on Junior Sean McKeon was a lightly recruited three-star prospect out of Dudley, Mass., but broke out to lead the team with 31 catches — six more than No. 2 Grant Perry — last year. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN