Michigan Football: Sean Mckeon making the tough catches

Michigan Football’s Zach Gentry declared for the NFL draft and the team is looking internally for someone to step up. Sean McKeon appears ready for the job.

Just like every year, college football teams across the country have to replace talent on both sides of the ball, however, some teams have it worse than others. Michigan Football, for example, has many players every year depart early for the NFL Draft leaving large voids.

At the tight end position, Zach Gentry declaring for the draft was unexpected but not surprising considering he was third in receiving yards during Michigan Football’s 2018 season.

Gentry caught 32 passes for 514 yards, backups Sean Mckeon and Nick Eubanks combined for 279 yards between their 22 grabs.

With Gentry gone, one of them will have to step up and become the new go-to tight end for Shea Patterson in coach Gattis’ new offense.

Although Gattis mentioned the team will remain a run-first offense – allowing for the possibility of a plethora of two tight end sets in the upcoming season – there will still come a time when only one end will be out there and from the recent comments from tight ends coach Sherrone Moore, it sounds like Sean McKeon has all but locked up the starting role.

Moore was asked: How have Nick [Eubanks] and Sean [McKeon] improved?

"“Yeah, they’ve been phenomenal this spring. Especially Sean. Sean as a blocker has bee really good as he’s always been but his receiving ability—catching the ball in traffic, making the hard catch, making competitive catches to the point where Khaleke [Hudson] came up to me and said, ‘Man, Sean’s gotten so much better.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, he has.’ It’s a credit to him and what he’s done this offseason. He really hasn’t had ay drops. He’s going to pluck the ball, he’s going to make competitive catches so I’m really proud of him as a receiver.”"

The three-time letterman and two-time All-Big Ten honoree has clearly made some improvements to his game.

Moore was also asked if McKeon has stepped up into the role as Patterson’s go-to guy in certain situations like Gentry did last year.

"Yeah, Sean’s really just done his part. When his number’s called he does it, but I think the thing this year we’re gonna have, we’re gonna have so many playmakers it’s going to be hard to key on one guy. If you want to try to stop Sean then you have to deal with Donovan [Peoples-Jones]. If you stop Donovan then you have to deal with Nico then you have to deal with Nick then you have to deal with all the other guys we’ve got. Sean’s really taken the part of trying to be that security blanket for him but most of the guys are doing a really good job.”"

McKeon is not only competing this season will Eubanks, but also with sophomores Mustapha Muhammad, Luke Schoonmaker, and freshman Erick All, who is making a name for himself this spring.

Moore said of All:

"“He’s just physical. For a freshman, for him being here for 10 practices, he will throw his face in the fan. He doesn’t care who it is, if it’s a linebacker, if it’s a defensive end, and he’s a physical, physical kid. And then in the pass game, when he knows what the route is that he’s supposed to run, he runs it extremely fast and he goes and gets the football. Really excited about having him.”"

Erick may be impressing the coaches but by all accounts, Sean will have the starting role in the fall and will look to replace and improve upon the tight end performance from a year ago.