Why Michigan tight ends Erick All, Luke Schoonmaker can be 'really special,' two of the nation's best

Michigan football has the Big Ten’s top returning tight end, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), which slotted junior Erick All sixth nationally as well. But the Maize and Blue aren’t just optimistic about All’s chances to be a game-changer this fall, redshirt junior Luke Schoonmaker is also primed to take another step forward and assert himself as one of the top players in the country at his position.

“Really high expectations,” Michigan first-year position coach Grant Newsome said of the tight ends. “They have high expectations for themselves, and we have high expectations — myself and the rest of the staff in the building.

“Our expectations are that Schoony and Erick should be competing against each other to be the best tight end in the country. You want every guy in the building to have that expectation, but I think the reality of it is we have two, really, really talented guys at the top of that room, and obviously other talented guys below them. Those are two guys that have the chance to be really, really special.”

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Both All and Schoonmaker were already key pieces on the Michigan offense last season. All was second on the team in both catches (38) and receiving yards (437), while tying the most touchdown catches (three). Schoonmaker hauled in 17 receptions for 165 yards and three touchdowns himself.

Newsome compared All and Schoonmaker to one of his teammates during his playing days with the Wolverines, former Michigan tight end Jake Butt, who was a first-team All-Big Ten standout as a junior but upped his game as a senior, earning first-team All-America honors and the John Mackey Award.

“Those are two guys that did a lot of stuff that Jake did back when I was playing,” Newsome explained. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to take that next step. [Michigan strength and conditioning] Coach [Ben] Herb[ert] said the other day that they should be pushing each other, trying to outwork each other every single day to decide who’s going to be one, who’s going to be two across the country in terms of tight ends.”

Erick All’s Evolution Continues

All has taken huge strides during each of his seasons at Michigan. As a freshman, he admitted he didn’t know the entire playbook, but he was always a willing blocker and had great contact courage. The last two years, he’s honed in on knowing the offense and has also fine-tuned his skills, with last season being his breakout year. Now, Newsome says, he’s put it all together.

“First off, he’s a truly dynamic athlete,” Newsome said when asked what makes All so special. “You guys saw the Penn State game last year [when All scored a 47-yard game-winning touchdown]. To do that, catch that ball and outrun their secondary on a bum ankle — he was two weeks off a high-ankle sprain when he was doing that. He’s a really, really special athlete dynamically.

“His mentality — we have to try to pull him back sometimes, because he just wants to kill everything. He wants to hit, hit, hit, hit, hit. That’s great, and we’re trying to be smart about that, especially in spring ball and the beginning of the season. But you’d much rather be trying to pull someone back instead of constantly pushing him forward.

“He’s got the mentality that you could line up Shaquille O’Neal across the field from him and say, ‘You go splice block that guy.’ He’d say, ‘alright, cool,’ and then he’d come off and say, ‘he’s a coward.’ It’s something you gotta love.”

All has also taken more ownership within the Michigan tight ends room, helping not only himself but the younger players. Freshman early enrollee Colston Loveland has been one in All’s hip pocket, soaking up information and trying to learn.

“The other encouraging thing I’ve seen is he’s taken so many steps as a leader this offseason,” Newsome said. “It’s rewarding for me to kind of see … I knew him as a true freshman when he was 17 years old as an early enrollee, 18 years old that season. He was a kid in age and mentality. He’s the type of guy who would tap you on your left shoulder and pop around on your right, just trying tricks like that. But he’s always been a great kid.

“The moment I knew Erick’s that guy now was when, I walk into the first special teams meeting, and Colston’s sitting right in the middle. The person sitting right next to him was Erick. And so for me to see that come full circle, where that was [former Michigan tight ends] Sean [McKeon], that was Zach Gentry, that was Nick Eubanks helping Erick his freshman year.

“Now to see that he’s taken on that role and help take Colston under his wing, it’s really rewarding for me, and nothing I did obviously. It was all Erick and his hard work, and [Michigan assistants] Sherrone [Moore] and Jay [Harbaugh].