Michigan football's tight end group, led by Freddie Whittingham, is gaining attention for its potential despite being overlooked. The team is optimistic about the depth and talent of players like Hogan Hansen and Deakon Tonielli.
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The one position group that Michigan football has heavily utilized in not just recent history, but general history, that hasn't been getting a ton of attention this offseason is the tight end group. Certainly, even with a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham and with his brother, Freddie, leading the group, it will still be a focal point of the new-look offense. Yes, the run game features heavily in Jason Beck's scheme, but the former Utah staff is inheriting perhaps an unheralded tight end room, but one with a lot of potential.
Freddie Whittingham met up with Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast this week and shared a bit of his thoughts on the room as a whole, and how the players should figure into the offense this year.
"I think the depth is strong," Whittingham said. "The two guys that are the fullback types -- Jalen Hoffman and Eli Owens -- both had great springs. Both had a lot of production this spring. Feeling good about where they are to be able to help out in their role.
"And then, you know, Zack was not able to practice, recovering from a shoulder surgery that he had in January, but Hogan Hansen -- he came on really strong. He showed himself to be a threat in the passing game. Big target, good hands, goes up high and gets the ball. And then Deakon Tonielli. Also, he has some real physical traits. He can run, he's athletic, he put some good tape out there, too. So felt really good about the depth of the position."
That's the personnel, but what about how the room will be deployed within the confines of the offense?
Whittingham is enthusiastic about his group and where they've seen improvement, along with how much they're doing what they're tasked with. It's not all about catching the football; it's also about blocking in both the run and the pass. Ultimately, he's seeing a lot of progress from the room and how they're taking to all of the aspects of the game.
"So coming out of spring, I saw some things that we improved at, got good at," Whittingham said. "With a lot of our offense, we're gonna be blocking perimeter runs. We're trying to circle the defense in one direction, other direction, using a QB read and power or counter. And so they need to be good at fitting up in space, all right? So I saw a lot of progress with that type of blocking.
Freddie Whittingham is leading the tight end group for Michigan football.
The key strengths include strong depth and the potential of players like Hogan Hansen and Deakon Tonielli.
Hogan Hansen showed significant improvement and emerged as a threat in the passing game during spring practices.
The tight ends will be a focal point in the new offense, contributing to both the run game and passing game.
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"Then a lot in the in the throw game, a tight end really has to get open in tight spaces and also be physical at the top of the route in those tight spaces So I thought we got made a lot of progress in that area, too, when you're gonna catch those quick, six, seven-yard routes that can turn into eight, nine, 10 yards with a good run after catch. That was something we made a lot of progress in. And then, in pass protect, we kind of have a unique pass protection here where we get six-man pass pro using an additional tight end. Sometimes that can be a sixth O-lineman. Sometimes it can be a tight end. So we worked a lot on pass pro so that the tight ends would be in a position to do that. And yeah, so play-action pass is where the tight ends really eat within the passing game. So that to me is going to be kind of the core of what we do."
Though the wide receiver room has been greatly revamped as it is, the pass game could take off to another level if the tight ends get into the mix. The mention of Hogan Hansen and Deakon Tonielli as premier pass catchers could pay dividends -- as could Zack Marshall when he's healthy, as he surged in his ability when called upon last year.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football tight ends could be key to new offense