With spring practice wrapping up, senior tight end Sean McKeon has lofty expectations for his tight end group.
Even though Michigan is moving away from its physical, pro-style offense in favor of a more spread out approach under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, McKeon still thinks the tight ends can be a huge part of the offense and be one of the best groups in the nation.
“I think the competition is always high whether its two of us on the field or three, we’re striving to be the best not only in our room, but in the whole country,” he said. “We want to have the best tight end room in the country. Coach Moore says that almost every day. I think we have the potential; I don’t think we’re there yet.”
While Michigan lost Zach Gentry, the Wolverines still have a well-stocked tight end room. In addition to McKeon, tight ends Nick Eubanks and Erick All have impressed during spring practice.
McKeon had high praise for All, Michigan’s early enrollee freshman tight end.
“He’s a natural receiver,” he said. “He has great hands and he’s fast. He can really run by guys.
In Saturday’s open spring practice, Michigan’s offense started to be unveiled to the public, including another nice catch by All.
“I really like the new offense a lot,” McKeon said. “It took a little bit to transition, but we’re rolling pretty smooth right now.”
The offense took time to install and for the players to learn it fully. As spring practice is almost over, the Wolverines’ offense is finally starting to practice with less mistakes.
“Guys were definitely excited to learn everything and just trying to soak up all the information,” McKeon said. “Obviously at first, it was kind of a lot. [We] had guys busting on assignments at first. Coach Gattis wasn’t happy about that. There’s been a lot less mental errors on the offense as spring has gone on.”
Earlier in the spring, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh called McKeon “elite”. McKeon was asked what it means to be an elite football player.
“I think with any profession, it’s really focusing on the details and you have to be able to execute the little details every play,” he said. “You have to know what you’re doing and know how to do it. You just have to consistently do it. Just consistently doing your job, make plays. I think you’ll be elite at anything if you do that.”
For McKeon, he said it comes back to how hard he works.
“Just constant work in the offseason,” he said. “No one really sees it in Glick, the offense all met all throughout the winter, throwing routes with Shea and the other quarterbacks, just working on that timing. I think that definitely helps a lot.”
McKeon’s dedication could pay off for him this season. He could be a key piece of Michigan’s offense as the Wolverines look to avenge the final two games of last season.
“Those losses are always in our head,” McKeon said. “It definitely sucks to lose to Ohio State, but I think that’s lit a fire under some guys. In the winter, just getting some extra motivation for sure.”
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