Michigan Football: Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Ready To Emerge

Michigan football already has a standout tight end in Jake Butt, but Tyrone Wheatley Jr. is a stud on the brink of emerging onto the scene.

When Jim Harbaugh was putting together his very first Michigan football recruiting class in 2015, one of the big accomplishments he was able to pull was getting four-star tight end Tyrone Wheatley Jr., the son of running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley Sr.

The initial question with Wheatley was whether he’d play tight end or defensive end. Just from a fan perspective, both options were attractive; a large athletic body would be fun to watch at either position.

At 6-foot-6, 291 pounds, Wheatley is an absolute monster when he’s on the line, just shy of right tackle Erik Magnuson’s 6-foot-6, 305-pound frame. Then you see him run a route and quickly understand why Michigan opted to put him there.

“He’s a big-bodied guy who can move people off the ball and when he goes out to run a pattern, he can work a guy,” Michigan offensive coordinator Tim Drevno said in March. “Those short routes by the tight ends are kind of like (playing underneath) in basketball. He’s a big target, put the ball (wherever) and he can run with it.”

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Michigan has a small void to fill with A.J. Williams graduating last season. Williams was a nice complement to Jake Butt, who of course is the Wolverines’ main target at tight end. Williams finished the season with 12 catches for 129 yards.

For as productive as Michigan’s tight ends were a year ago, you can expect the group to do even more in the future. As most everyone knows, Harbaugh’s offense can’t have too many tight ends.

Wheatley’s appeal is that he’s massive, a great blocker, and can get off the line and use good hands to be productive in the passing game. He had 27 catches for 372 yards and four touchdowns during his senior season.

“He’s a big guy for a tight end but he does have good feet and he’s physical,” said senior defensive end Chris Wormley. “I can’t wait to see how he looks as he gets better.”

He may not have to wait long.

There’s a big opportunity on the horizon for Wheatley, who’s going to have a lot to bring to the table for Michigan’s offense.

It’s play like this that give fans hope Wheatley is going to be the real deal at tight end.

Other tight ends stand a chance at filling in this role.

Junior Ian Bunting, sophomore Zach Gentry (formerly a quarterback) and true freshman Devin Asiasi have a shot. At top-end potential, though, it’s hard to believe Wheatley would be worse than the No. 2 tight end this season.

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It’s pretty clear that Wheatley could have a big-time impact on Michigan’s offense in 2016.

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