Name: Nick Eubanks
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 256 lbs.
High school: Plantation (FL) American Heritage
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #82
Last year: I ranked Eubanks #31 and said he would be a backup tight end with 15 catches for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns (LINK). He started ten games and made 25 catches for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 44
I suppose it’s about time I offer up my apology to Eubanks for that TTB Rating of 44 back in the day. It assumed that the third most ready tight end in the class – behind Devin Asiasi and Sean McKeon – would not stick around to develop and become a player. Michigan, however, managed to hit on all three tight end signees that year. Asiasi became a 3rd round pick (after transferring to UCLA), McKeon played a bunch and signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, and Eubanks is coming back for year five as a pretty well established starter.
Eubanks had a high of 43 receiving yards (vs. Rutgers) and 3 catches (3 separate times) in 2019, so he doesn’t appear to be in danger of winning the Mackey Award. But he’s a pretty consistent receiving threat, and he improved as a blocker last year after struggling in that area earlier in his career.
Michigan still has options at tight end, so Eubanks isn’t free and clear to be the one and only tight end in 2020. There’s a lot of buzz about Erick All and some growing enthusiasm about Luke Schoonmaker. But I do like Eubanks’s experience, size, and overall athleticism. He’s not going to outrun safeties on seam routes, but he should be a consistent short target for Joe Milton and a presence in the running game.
Prediction: Starting tight end
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With Collins gone this feels about right. The WRs are going to be small so Michigan may use their TEs as downfield threats more often like they did with Gentry. I suspect the oft criticized 2TE sets may not be gone just yet…
Eubanks was a big play guy earlier in his career but has fought for snaps with McKeon, which tells you he hadn’t put it all together yet. He’s got some talent. He did seem to breakout a little bit toward the end of the season and perhaps that will continue into 2020.
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Eubanks seems to come up clutch once a game, 5 yards away from the nearest defender with a 10+ yard reception. If he had a bit more speed I think he would be outstanding, but he definitely seems to make an impact now.
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