Michigan football is elite at tight end
One position that Michigan football fans should keep a close eye on in the spring game on Saturday is tight end.
When Michigan football fans watch the spring game this Saturday at the Big House or from the comfort of their own home, one thing that is going to stand out is the play of the tight ends.
There is plenty of talk about how deep Michigan football is at running back or wide receiver, but the Wolverines are absolutely loaded for bear at tight end.
Everyone knows about Erick All and it would be hard not to. He was the Wolverines’ second-leading receiver with 38 receptions and completed one of the biggest plays in the 2021 season with his touchdown reception against Penn State that proved to be the game-winner.
Even though he would have been selected in the first few rounds this year, All returned to Michigan football for the 2022 season and he’s going to be a weapon.
Yet, he’s not going to be the only one at tight end.
Other tight ends to watch in the spring game on Saturday and next season
Luke Schoonmaker became quite the threat down the stretch for the Wolverines last season and caught 17 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns. That’s 9.7 yards per reception in addition to his ability as a blocker.
There is also Joel Honigford who is essentially an extra offensive lineman. When Jim Harbaugh coached with the 49ers and earlier in his Michigan career, he was all about fullbacks.
But Honigford and the other tight ends are serving that role of extra blocker now and were deadly effective in 2021 and I expect more of the same this season.
Honigford was invited back for this season and it wasn’t because of his catching ability. The former offensive lineman is going to be used for his run blocking and frankly, it’s something that all of Michigan’s tight ends can do. At least the ones that will play in 2022 and there are five of them.
Those include Louis Hansen who will be a redshirt freshman this season and also true freshman Colston Loveland.
Loveland and Hansen are two guys you need to watch for on Saturday. We’ve talked about Hansen plenty and he’s stood out this spring, with multiple receptions from Cade McNamara.
Hansen will be hard to keep off the field this season but Loveland will be too. Each was ranked as a four-star coming out of high school by multiple recruiting services but was still underrated.
Both have solid pass-catching skills and are just another reason why this group isn’t just pretty good — it’s going to be among the best in the country next season as Grant Newsome tells it.
And that doesn’t even include others like Matthew Hibner who have also taken steps forward. So while I get that tight end isn’t the sexiest position, with all the talent the Wolverines have, plus all the different ways they are determined to use them, it’s going to be one of the strengths for Michigan in 2022 and beyond.