Twelve of the Michigan Wolverines' incoming freshmen football players participated in postseason all-star games this past winter, with San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic four-star offensive tackle Jeffrey Persi and Burke (Va.) Lake Braddock three-star tight end Matt Hibner taking part in January's International Bowl in Dallas.
The duo suited up for Team USA at the event, and although Jason Mohns served as the club's head coach, Scottsdale Saguaro High School (in Arizona) head man Mark Martinez acted as the offensive line/tight ends coach.
“The tight ends were more h-backs in our systems, so there weren’t many in-line tight end schemes we ran," Martinez recalled when asked to share his thoughts on Hibner. "He was a great kid with a great personality, and was so physical.
"It was all about having a great attitude and a great personality with him. He'd walk in every morning and be like, ‘Hey Coach, how’s it going? How are things?’ He was a joy to be around and it made me want to go out there and coach even harder, even though I already loved coaching.
"Hibner always had a smile on his face.”
Although he's only rated as a three-star prospect, Hibner strung together an outstanding senior season at Lake Braddock, hauling in 42 receptions for 940 yards and 12 touchdowns.
It's also worth noting he was the only tight end head coach Jim Harbaugh signed in the Wolverines' 2020 class, with multiple tight end sets becoming more and more rare in offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' spread out system.
