The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/137378
TE to run routes like Tony did. Devin is running routes on safeties and linebackers, but he's out there running like a receiver, and that's a problem for the defense. "There are things that wide receivers can do that Devin can do for you. And yet he is a big guy. That's a fun deal. Now you can run some of the things you'd usually do in a three-wide receiver set with two receivers and two tight ends. They're thinking, 'This is a run set,' and all of a sudden, Devin is motioning out and going downfield." Funchess immediately made an impact. In the second game of the season, a 31-25 win over Air Force, he caught four passes for 106 yards, including his first career touchdown. He finished the year with 15 catches for 234 yards and led the team with five touchdown grabs. Funchess scored on deep, slow-developing routes, finding the end zone on a 30-yarder versus Air Force, a 29-yarder against Iowa and a 26-yarder against Massachusetts. With his towering 6-5 frame, he also proved to be a dangerous option in the red zone, climbing the ladder for two eight-yard touchdowns (versus Northwestern and Illinois). While Funchess was generating a steady dose of highlight-reel plays, Williams took over the grunt work, playing in all 13 games, primarily as a fierce blocker on the offensive line. Williams did not record a catch in 2012. But even as the two players were seemingly carving out their respective niches, Ferrigno saw signs that both could eventually become more accomplished overall tight ends. "I watched A.J. play basketball, and you could see the natural ability," Ferrigno said. "He's a tremendous athlete. He has great feet, and he moves well and can control his body very well for a big man. You knew the potential was there." And Funchess, who had never done much more than stalk blocking cornerbacks in high school, was buying more and more into the blocking aspect of the position. "Because high schools are moving more and more toward spread offenses, it's hard to find tight ends that do play with their hand in the dirt," Ferrigno said. "It has been a good transformation for Devin, and he is getting better at that part of the game. He is such a good athlete that he could Quick Facts Position Coach: Dan Ferrigno (third season). Returner Starter: Sophomore Devin Funchess (5 career starts). Departing Starter: Mike Kwiatkowski (6). Projected New Starter: Sophomore A.J. Williams, in two-tight end packages. Top Reserves: Redshirt junior Jordan Paskorz and freshman Jake Butt. Wait Until 2014: Freshman Khalid Hill. Newcomers: Butt, Hill. Moved In: None. Moved Out: None. Rookie Impact: Butt. Most Improved Player: Funchess. Best Pro Prospect: Funchess. FYI: Michigan's tight ends combined to tally 20 catches for 278 yards and five touchdowns last year … Funchess accounted for all five touchdowns, becoming the first U-M tight end to catch five or more touchdowns since Bennie Joppru in 2002 … Funchess was the first tight end to lead the team in touchdown receptions in a single season since Jerame Tuman had five in 1996 … The single-season record for catches by a tight end, 53, was set by Joppru in 2002 … The single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end is 662 (Jim Mandich, 1969) … Walk-on redshirt freshman Clark Grace, a Tecumseh, Ontario, native, is the lone international player on the U-M roster this season … Grace is the son of University of Windsor athletics director Gordon Grace, who earned a master's degree in sport management from Michigan and served as a graduate assistant coach under former head coach Lloyd Carr … Michigan head coach Brady Hoke and Ferrigno coached tight end Gavin Escobar at San Diego State in 2010, when he earned secondteam Freshman All-America honors. Escobar was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 47th overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft. do just about anything. His issue right now is that he needs to get a little bigger, a little stronger." In the last year, Funchess has added almost 25 pounds to his frame. He is up to 228 on the official roster and working closely with strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman this summer to continue to bulk up. "Right now, his technique is pretty good," Funchess said. "When you're blocking a 280-pound defensive end and you weigh 225 pounds, you can hit them with great technique and sometimes he's just not going to move, because you need a little more weight behind you. He's aware of that, and he is doing everything he can in the weight room and in his diet. He is never going to be a 275-pound tight end. But he can be a 240-, 250-pound tight end and be very effective." For Williams, the goal is almost the opposite. "We always have to guard against A.J. getting too big," Ferrigno said. "He has done a great job in that area. He has kept his weight right where we want it. He knows where he needs to improve, and he has been working on those areas this summer just like Devin is working on the things he needs to. A.J. is improving in the pass receiving area. "There's no question A.J. is progressing. He is catching the ball way better than when he first got here. His ability to make cuts and run routes is improving. Devin is working on the blocking. By the time the season starts, I think both of them will be markedly better in those areas, which will make us a better football team." Diversifying The Packages As Funchess' and Williams' trajectories move closer toward overlapping, the coaching staff has more wiggle room to get creative with schemes and plays. In 2010, Hoke, Borges and Ferrigno's last season at San Diego State before coming to Michigan, the Aztecs lined up in a two-tight end set 30-40 percent of the time, by Ferrigno's estimation. That year, five different San Diego State tight ends caught passes, including three that tallied at least one touchdown. The Aztec tight ends were led by Gavin Escobar, who caught 29 passes for 323 yards and four scores, earning Freshman All-America honors. "Coach Borges likes tight ends," Ferrigno said. "He likes them in the game, because it opens up a lot of opportunities for you. As we move back toward what we used to do as an offensive staff — at San Diego State and other places — I see their role increasing. "We haven't done that here, because our offense was much different with Denard Robinson. But I could see it evolving to that. It depends on Al and, when we game plan, what is working most effectively." With the Wolverines' increased focus on tight ends, freshman Jake Butt has joined the fold just in time to witness the evolution. At Pickerington North High School in Pickerington, Ohio, last season, Butt caught 68 passes for 907 yards and 12 touchdowns. The four-star prospect was a vital offensive weapon, but he also comes to Ann Arbor with more blocking experience than Funchess. Already 6-6, 235, Butt will have a very good chance to see the field this fall. "I like Jake a lot," Ferrigno said. "Jake is going to be a really good football player here at Michigan. We're unsure what his role will be next season. It will develop. This is an important summer for him, going into his first fall camp, and we'll see where he is at the end of fall camp. He will have a role, as early as next year." Butt, an early enrollee, caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner in the spring game. "He's a guy you look at on film, and he just stands out," Ferrigno said. "There are a lot of things he does very well. And I was very pleased with how smart he is. He picks things up extremely quickly and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. That goes a long way toward getThe Wolverine 2013 Football Preview ■ 109