He’s transformed his body, he’s catching everything in sight and he’s extremely smart … even if sophomore tight end Sean McKeon’s name isn’t pronounced like it’s spelled.
“It’s pronounced 'McCune,'” he said Friday night, with a shrug of his shoulders. “You’ll have to ask my grandmother [why].”
No matter how it’s pronounced, this is a name Michigan fans could well hear a lot about this fall. Rumblings started early that McKeon had been one of the pleasant surprises in early camp, showing off great hands and resembling some of U-M’s great pass catching tight ends of the recent past.
He has yet to do it on the field, of course, after hauling in only two passes for 10 yards in four games a year ago, but his teammates say he’s one to watch.
“I think I’ve improved in a lot of areas,” he said. “My motto is try to make your weaknesses your strengths. I come out every day, Coach [Greg] Frey tells us what we need to work on, I just attack that and try to improve any way I can.”
One of his weaknesses from last year has already become a strength.
“I thought at first it was route running. I didn’t do a lot of it in high school,” he said. “When I got here, it was one of my focuses. Now I would say just blocking, all the technique that’s involved in it.
“I’d say my biggest strength now is running routes, catching balls. I’m working to become a complete tight end in all the aspects of the game.”
New tight ends coach Greg Frey has helped in that area, he added. Though McKeon was a relatively unheralded three-star prep, assistant coach Jay Harbaugh had confidence he could play at Michigan … and excel.
Not everyone was as convinced, and McKeon noticed.
“I guess I had a little chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I knew I could play here. Coach Jay had confidence me. That gave me confidence … and so has Coach Frey. He’s been great in teaching new ways of technique and to attack blocking, moving some guys out there. We have a great D-Line to go against, probably one of the best in the nation. It’s been really great to get out there and practice our technique on them, get better every day.
“Making good plays in practice, earning trust in the quarterbaks for them to throw me the ball helped, too.”
He leaned on them all summer, meeting up at the practice field to throw and catch. He’s developed a rapport with all of them, he said, and they all trust each other.
There are even times you’ll see three of the tight ends line up on the field at the same time to throw defenses off.
“I feel the group is really coming along this year,” he said. “We’re going to have a great year.”
NOTES
• There’s no tight end depth chart right now, McKeon said, and that’s by design. Frey has always kept those in-house, and apparently not just from the media.
“He said he won’t tell us until the first game, basically,” McKeon said. "We’re all working hard to get the starting job.”
• McKeon has gone from future engineer to future businessman. He was accepted into the prestigious Ross School of Business this summer.
“My parents were definitely really happy and proud,” he said, noting he’s one of six or seven on the team in the school.
• The defensive line, specifically sophomore end Rashan Gary, has been a great test for the tight ends when it comes to blocking. Sophomore viper linebacker Khaleke Hudson has been huge when it comes to covering.
“It’s really great to go against obviously one of the best in the country. It’s great practice for us getting to go against him, practice technique,” he said. “You don’t want to go better someone easy. We get better every day going against him. It’s great. He’s a great player, works hard, and is becoming a leader on the defense.
“Khaleke is one of the main defenders we go against in the pass game. He’s really good at defending us. It’s always a challenge when he’s out there. He makes us better every day.”
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