Michigan Wolverines football is replacing Sean McKeon, now a Dallas Cowboy, at the tight end position in 2020. McKeon racked up 60 receptions for 668 yards and six touchdowns during his career at U-M.
Fifth-year senior Nick Eubanks remains, and is the headliner at the position for the Wolverines. He made 25 catches for 234 yards and four touchdowns for the season. But as last year showed, U-M wants to use multiple guys at the spot, which is where names like redshirt sophomore Luke Schoonmaker and sophomore Erick All come into play.
Schoonmaker played tight end in nine games last season and caught two passes for 54 yards and one touchdown.
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His redshirt freshman season was about playing a reserve role and learning.
"I was just really looking to have an impact on the team where I could and taking everything in," he told Jon Jansen on the 'Inside Michigan Football' radio show.
Throughout the offseason, Schoonmaker has focused on making sure he'll be ready when his number is called this season. He's bulked up from weighing 247 pounds at the end of the 2019 season to a listed 252 now, though he says he's now either 253 or 254 pounds.
This year, he'll be asked to do more — much more — and he's ready to do just that and be the complete player U-M needs him to be.
"I would say just continuing to better myself in both aspects of the game, with blocking and running routes," Schoonmaker said of what his focus has been coming into the season. "I think I've certainly improved that, just with the time that we've had since being back.
"I've taken some great strides. And [position coach] Coach [Sherrone] Moore has certainly worked me, worked us to just continue getting better."
The biggest thing has been improving the fine details, especially at a position that is asked to do many different things in coordinator Josh Gattis' system.
"It's really the little things, the little details, the footwork, the right yardage in routes," Schoonmaker said. "Coming into college and playing college ball, you certainly learn all of that really quick, and that's a big part of the game. Just those details, I've really been mastering and continuing to get better with."
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