Michigan tight end coach Sherrone Moore might only be in his first season with the program, but he sees an incredibly high ceiling for his group of tight ends.
After the Nebraska game, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh praised the group for their blocking efforts.
Moore said the tight ends success in blocking this season is in part because of the work of Michigan’s director of strength and conditioning Ben Herbert.
“They’ve just done an outstanding job putting on the right weight,” Moore said. “I hold the bag sometimes for them and it feels a little bit of a different thump when they hit it. That was pretty cool to feel the difference of their strength.”
Moore also thinks the tight ends have progressed in terms of technique with blocking.
“To watch those guys really improve from a fundamentals standpoint with the feet and their hands has been really cool,” Moore said.
One tight end who has impressed Moore is redshirt junior Nick Eubanks. Eubanks earned his first career start against the Cornhuskers.
The area where Eubanks has stood out was blocking.
“First from a playbook standpoint, he’s definitely grasped the playbook on a different level,” Moore said. “His physicality, especially in the run game has really exceled and he’s taken a lot of ownership in that. From a pass game, he still has the athleticism, he’s still fast, big, strong. I think those tools will continue to be used, but he’s exceled from a run game stand point.”
Notes
Moore said they are going to unleash redshirt junior Zach Gentry as the season goes along.
“He’s just going to get better,” Moore said. “There’s so many things you can do with a guy that’s 6’8’’ 265 pounds that can run like that. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
Gentry is a type of tight end that Moore has never coached before and Moore is excited to use him in unique ways the rest of the season.
Moore has liked the leadership of Gentry and junior tight end Sean McKeon.
“They’ve done an outstanding job at being leaders within the room,” Moore said. “They’ve kind of been stepping up with the offensive guys, making sure that everything on-point, business-like mentality.”
Freshman tight end Mustapha Muhammad had been battling a hamstring injury early on in the season, but he’s gotten over it. Moore said Muhammad has been progressing as he gets acquainted with the system and the playbook.
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