Tight ends: B+
Another group that was hurt by injuries. Erick All, who many hoped would have an All-American season, barely saw any action all year. His backup, Luke Schoonmaker, was great but also suffered from injuries. Colston Loveland was a stud and looks like a future All-American, but he was also a freshman.
Schoonmaker had an excellent year and, according to some, could be one of the top tight ends off the board in April. He was old-reliable and consistently came up in tough situations.
With that being said, Schoonmaker obviously wasn’t a superstar. He had grit and worked hard, and that’s going to make him a lot of money in the future.
Colston Loveland burst onto the scene because of the injuries, and he looks to be the most talented Michigan football tight end since Jake Butt.
Thinking of the connection he and JJ will have after an entire offseason together is scary. I’m not going to go crazy on the hype train, but Loveland was a pleasant surprise this season.
His touchdowns against Ohio State and Purdue were both excellent plays, and we can expect to see more of those in the future.
At the end of the day, however, he was just a freshman. He made his share of mistakes and definitely wasn’t perfect. The future looks incredibly bright for Loveland and the tight-end room as a whole. I think there is definitely potential for this room to improve next year.