Name: Louis Hansen
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 251 lbs.
High school: Needham (MA) St. Sebastian's
Position: Tight end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #81
Last year: Hansen was a senior in high school (LINK). His season was canceled due to COVID.
TTB Rating: 84
Hansen ended up ranked as a 4-star, the #11 tight end, and #274 overall. He played a lot of wide receiver in high school, as St. Sebastian's figured he was the best athlete around, so they might as well put him out in space. He outjumped and outmuscled defensive backs regularly. He caught 39 passes for 548 yards and 8 touchdowns as a junior in 2019, but his senior season was canceled due to COVID.
If Michigan's offense is anything like it has been for the past several years, Michigan needs a contributor at tight end. The Wolverines have lost Sean McKeon and Nick Eubanks to graduation over the past couple seasons, and that production has not really been replaced. Presumed starter Erick All has the body and athletic skills to take over, but he was plagued by drops in 2020. Fifth year senior Joel Honigford is just a blocker, and Luke Schoonmaker has been so-so as a blocker and receiver.
The most interesting change is with Ben Mason's departure. Mason was basically a fullback, but he was listed as a tight end. Will Michigan get rid of that position and those formations because they no longer have a fullback-like guy? Or will they do similar things with a different guy? The #3 tight end only had 2 catches each of the past two seasons (Mason in 2020, Schoonmaker in 2019), but those players got plenty of snaps on the field as blockers, route runners, etc.
Hansen will see the field in 2021. He probably won't catch a ton of balls, but he should get a few looks and has reportedly bulked up to over 250 pounds in order to get physically ready to take on Big Ten defenders.
Prediction: Backup tight end
A TrFR who missed last year? Let's hope our Receivers have progressed enough to where we do not need a "third TE" much
ReplyDeleteConsidering Michigan gave Eubanks, Mason, Schoonmaker, All, and Honigford significant snaps last year, I don't think there's any other conclusion except for one that includes AT LEAST three tight ends. They're not going to go from 5 to 2.
DeleteAgainst my better judgment I'll side with JE here. Michigan has been allocating more scholarships to WR and continues stockpiling RBs (and unlike in the old days none of them are shifting to FB or LB, they just transfer instead). The skill positions should be playing a bigger role accordingly and thus the 3rd TE should not be a key player unless there is injury.
DeleteAs for 2020 - just because you used 5 guys doesn't mean you need or want to use 5 guys. Michigan has been better when it has a couple of standout players it can lean on - hopefully All and Schoonmaker are ready to take on that role.
The freshman, unless they are impact players, should be using their 4 games to get their feat wet in non-competitive situations. But that's not a team need it's an individual development thing.
As for Honigford he is still listed as an OL. Michigan will continue to need an extra blocker on some plays and regardless of where he lines up on or off the line you can have somebody like Honigford fill that role situationally. An extra OL, a walk-on, a backup DT, a thirsty RB or LB, a TE - there are many ways to go. Honigford is no different than Vincent Smith or Chris Evans being able to lineup at WR or Giles Jackson lining up at RB or Jabrill Peppers lining up at QB. Those are not needs those are luxuries - that versatile players can provide and give an opportunity to be more efficient with scholarship allocations at other positions.
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This is a bit like the argument about backup RBs. You'll always have 5 or 6 guys get carries but after the top 2 or 3 those are generally not meaningful ones. They can be handled by walk-ons.
DeleteIn other words you use 5 RBs (because you have them) but you only need 3 RBs.
Michigan will probably use 3 TEs (and likely more) but should only need 2.
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"They're not going to go from 5 to 2."
DeleteYes, but Jay Harbaugh is coaching TEs now. Look for strange things to happen.
je93,
DeleteYou're going to want this kid to play. He will have passion! He might become the best TE at Michigan in a long time.
@ LANK 11:53 a.m.
DeleteStockpiling WR's and RB's? Okay...
WR's on the roster: 8 (Bell, Johnson, Dixon, Sainristil, Henning, Wilson, Baldwin, Anthony), including 2 freshmen
RB's on the roster: 4 (Haskins, Dunlap, Edwards, Corum), including 2 freshmen
TE's on the roster: 5 (All, Hansen, Schoonmaker, Honigford, Hibner), including 1 freshman
50% of the running backs are freshmen, 25% of the wide receivers are freshmen, and 20% of the tight ends are freshmen... If you want to keep freshmen off the field, tight end is arguably the most experienced group.
Regardless, I'm not really talking about what should happen. I think Michigan should play more receivers. What I'm saying is that Michigan is going to play tight ends quite a bit. They've been doing it for 6+ years. If you think 2021 is going to be a seismic shift in the deployment of tight ends, well...I disagree.
@ Mego Torsten 9:13 p.m.
DeleteWeird things are going to happen? Like one of the tight ends is going to win the Mackey Award? Sweet!
That would be more weird than I had in mind. You're optimistic about Jay Harbaugh.
Delete@Thunder
DeleteGood points. I was thinking 2019 was an example of leaning on your top 2 TEs (Eubanks and McKeon) but even then All was playing a meaningful role and Schoonmaker was around for backup snaps, special teams, etc.
You're probably right. I'll have to think twice next time I find myself agreeing with JE.
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I agree they will play. I'm saying the more the play, the less likely our chances of winning will be
DeleteCade is likely our starter: he's not picking teams apart with guys like Schoonmaker. No, his best supporting cast is guys who can get open deep, or pick up lots of YAC on their own
I guess it's good that Bowman can pick apart teams with guys like Schoonmaker because I don't see Michigan relying on 220 something pound TEs all year.
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This kid is going to be in the Pros. He will show flashes this year. I hope Jay Harbaugh doesn't screw up playing time with the TEs like he did with RBs. But he will.
ReplyDeleteI hope so. But he's a TrFR. How many of them make an immediate impact? Plus, he hasn't played football in two years...
DeleteAs with All (can't catch, not a great blocker), and Schoonmaker (not exactly standout at anything), these guys will play, but shouldn't be out there just to be out there. We need guys who can score points, and save our Defense
They should earn every single snap is all I'm saying. Far too many chances last year, simply giving opponents someone to ignore
This narrative about RB playing time being wrong is probably in the top 5 list of Michigan Football SMDH consensus.
DeleteGet on the Hassan train people - kid has already shown you he can ball.
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Haskins is good. But he is not fast. If Jay Harbaugh was doing such a great job with RBs he would have never been taken off coaching them .He mishandled Charbonnet. And Evans got drafted. Howe any carries did he get in 2020? Jay Harbaugh didn't even know what he had in Evans.
DeleteHaskins is not fast but the fastest RB is rarely the best RB. The last 'great' one at Michigan was Mike Hart, also one of the slowest. People criticized Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith for their lack of speed also. Laughable.
DeleteIf anyone should have better perspective about RB speed it's fans in Michigan (at least those old enough to remember Hart and Sanders). Speed is good but it's a small part of things. If it was, you'd have corners and WRs back there.
But let's talk about now. Haskins performed best and beat out the other guys. The simplest explanation for why he got the ball the most is that he was the best back. Not much reason (other than holding on to recruiting rankings) to say otherwise. Dude average 6.1 ypc and was a physical force on an offense that struggled to move the ball for big chunks of the year and had revolving doors along the OL and at QB.
But the other guys still got opportunities. Haskins did not get even 50% of carries or snaps. Corum looked more electric than the other two despite being the youngest. Charbonnet looks very reliable and solid, but he is expected to be a backup with lesser talent at UCLA. Are they screwing it up too? Evans played a significant role whenever he wasn't suspended, despite many viewing him as not a between-the-tackles type of back. Should he have been used more in the pass game? Probably so but Corum (and even Charbonnet) are skilled pass catchers and make plays with the ball as well.
When people say Harbaugh managed rotations incorrectly they seem to complain about everything. The top guy didn't get it enough. The NFL pick didn't get it enough. The talented guy that transferred out didn't get it enough. The hotshot freshman didn't get it enough... There's 1 ball people! Michigan had a LOADED backfield and they gave all of them opportunities. Exactly the right thing to do.
Now, in hindsight you could have maybe tried to anticipate the Charbonnet transfer and just cut your losses to give more touches to others I suppose. But I don't think you want to run off a talented back like that. Worth a shot if you ask me, especially with Evans on the way out and COVID uncertainty.
Bottom line - Michigan still has 2 excellent RBs returning in 2021. I liked Charbonnet (he and Haskins have dramatically reduced my skepticism towards taller backs) but he saw the writing in the wall - he was going to be 3rd string.
I'd argue Harbaugh did exactly the right thing that you should do when you have 4 very good RBs. I don't think he has primary play-calling duties so if you wanted more passes to RBs that's not on him. He gave everyone a shot and didn't short change anyone, even the outgoing senior who had troubles.
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I haven't heard a cogent argument for a better distribution of carries yet. They usually hinge on slandering the top RB - a guy who not only produces stats but highlight plays. Corum is a stud and not playing him would have been malpractice. Charbonet is solid, but not an elite player the recruiting rankings indicated. Evans has talent and could thrive as a 3rd down back in the NFL but he got in trouble at Michigan and he ended up being a senior in a lost year on an exceedingly deep position group. Giving him the majority of carries would have been silly too.
ReplyDeleteHarbaugh did the right thing and the distribution of RB carries is a really silly thing to get hung up on with all the other turmoil over the last few years.
Acting like changing position groups is some sort of indictment is also silly. Coaches move around all the time. Michigan had an opportunity to grab Mike Hart, who more obviously fits at RB than TE, so Harbaugh moved over. That spot was open because Michigan wanted Sherone Moore to take over at OL - another example of a move but one no one sees as an indictment. It's all completely logical. Some people are just lashing out at everything because they're mad the team had an awful year - even if it makes no sense whatsoever. At least that's my opinion on it.
I was skeptical about the nepotism concerns but with Jay H but under his guidance the RB group has improved dramatically and become the strongest position on the team. They're landing very good recruits and developing guys in house too.
There's just no evidence that Jay Harbaugh is doing anything less than a good job.
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And while we're here - Chris Evans getting drafted is a CREDIT to Jay Harbaugh. Many including Thunder did not see him as a RB, he wasn't a highly regarded recruit (338th nationally), and he got in trouble off the field. And yet - despite all that - the NFL saw the kid developed at Michigan, mostly under Harbaugh, as worth drafting. Give the guy some respect, because he has earned it.
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JE - I'm melting down over here like a polar icecap. Call for help!
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