The Five Best Tight Ends Under Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh has always used his tight ends well and he's had some good ones at Michigan. Whether a prospect was highly- or lowly-ranked, Harbaugh has had some success with a few different types of players.
As Harbaugh prepares for his sixth season as Michigan's head coach, we're taking a look at the five best tight ends during his five-year tenure.
1. Jake Butt
This is a runaway by Butt in this position group. Over the course of his four-year career, Butt racked up 138 catches for 1,646 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's the all-time record-holder for most receptions and yards by a tight end, which makes this is a pretty easy ranking. As a senior he was an All-American according to several outlets and also won the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation's most outstanding tight end.
2. Zach Gentry
Gentry really only had two years of production after redshirting and then switching positions from quarterback and that's why I have him at No. 2. During those two seasons, he compiled 49 catches for 817 yards and four touchdowns. At 6-8, he was a mismatch against anyone trying to cover him and he exploited that. Had he been a tight end from day one he would've had some very impressive numbers. Even still, his yardage total is second only to Butt under Harbaugh at Michigan.
3. Sean McKeon
With 60 grabs for 668 yards and six touchdowns, McKeon had more catches and scores than Gentry did but he did it over the course of four years and had 150 less yards receiving, which I think justifies him being at No. 3. McKeon was a very modest recruit, sporting only three other Power 5 offers from Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Massachusetts native picked Michigan and ended up outperforming his star rating.
4. Nick Eubanks
With a year remaining, Eubanks already has 35 catches for 461 yards and five touchdowns, so he'll likely overtake Gentry, at least in catches and in rank. There's a decent chance that he'll end up No. 2 on this list as his numbers are sure to go up by quite a bit as the only proven tight end on the roster for the 2020 season. At 6-5, 256 pounds, Eubanks has great size and runs really well. As the No. 1 guy at the position this year, he could be in line for a breakout season and a climb up this list.
5. AJ Williams
After the first four guys, it gets a little thin at the tight end position under Jim Harbaugh. With 17 catches for 164 yards and a score, Williams is the guy. He was more of a blocking tight end at 285 pounds, Williams wasn't much of a threat down the field but he was reliable in line and ended up being an emotional, senior lead as well.
