Michigan 27, Iowa 14

Tag: Luke Schoonmaker


2Oct 2022
Blog, homepage no comments

Michigan 27, Iowa 14

Mike Morris (image via Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

J.J. McCarthy is pretty good. Discussions often begin and end with the quarterback play, and McCarthy played pretty well against a very good defense. I have seen some people being critical, but here are the numbers: 36/50 (72%), 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions over the past two weeks against Maryland and Iowa. He’s not putting up Baker Mayfield-type numbers, but he’s completing a ton of passes and mostly taking care of the ball. The only real qualm I have is he holds on to the ball a second too long sometimes. He did it last week against Maryland, and he did it once again against Iowa. It should have been a fumble against the Terrapins, and it was definitely a fumble against the Hawkeyes.

Hit the jump for more.

read more
15Aug 2022
Blog, homepage no comments

2022 Season Countdown: #29 Luke Schoonmaker

Luke Schoonmaker (image via USA Today)

Name: Luke Schoonmaker
Height: 
6’6″
Weight: 
250 lbs.
High school: 
Hamden (CT) Hamden Hall
Position: 
Tight end
Class: 
Fifth year senior
Jersey number: 
#86
Last year: 
I ranked Schoonmaker #32 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He caught 17 passes for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns.
TTB Rating:
 81

Schoonmaker, a former high school quarterback, has improved year after year. He represents exactly what one should expect from a Jim Harbaugh-coached tight end. If you play tight end for Harbaugh, you’re probably going to develop into a pro candidate. There are some who think Schoonmaker has improved as a blocker to the point where he’s the best blocker at his position group, which is saying something, considering other tight ends include starter Erick All and former offensive lineman Joel Honigford. But Schoonmaker has also turned into a solid receiver, with 2 touchdowns against Indiana and a couple one-handed catches during his career. Despite being just a part-time starter and tying for 8th on the team in receptions, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media.

The 2022 season should be more of the same. Schoonmaker is a quality player, but he will have to share time with All, Honigford, and others. There’s also talk that youngsters Matt Hibner, Louis Hansen, and Colston Loveland – who all have barely played or not played at all – are good enough to get on the field. Schoonmaker will play a bunch, and he might even be good enough to get drafted in 2023, but he probably won’t see a leap in production because the tight end room is so crowded.

Prediction: Part-time starting tight end; 20 catches for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns

7Nov 2021
Blog, homepage no comments

Michigan 29, Indiana 7

Luke Schoonmaker (image via USA Today)

Please use the Amazon links here to make your purchases (LINK):

Eat your vitamins. My biggest takeaway from this game is that Michigan needs to get healthy. Going into the game, Michigan was missing RB Donovan Edwards and TE Erick All. And here are the players who got injured during the game: QB Cade McNamara (lower body), RB Blake Corum (lower leg), CB Gemon Green (shoulder), WR Andrel Anthony (unknown). Luckily, the Wolverines had a big enough advantage in this game that it ended up not affecting the outcome, but the toughest stretch of the schedule is coming up, with Penn State next week and Ohio State in three weeks.

Hit the jump for more.

read more
4Aug 2021
Blog, homepage no comments

2021 Season Countdown: #32 Luke Schoonmaker

Luke Schoonmaker

Name: Luke Schoonmaker
Height:
6’5″
Weight:
252 lbs.
High school:
Hamden (CT) Hamden Hall
Position:
Tight end
Class:
Redshirt junior
Jersey number:
#86
Last year:
I ranked Schoonmaker #53 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in all six games.
TTB Rating:
81

Schoonmaker seemed to take a step back in 2020. After catching 2 passes for 54 yards and 1 touchdown in 2019, he was fighting with Erick All for backup snaps last season. With Nick Eubanks as the starter, All largely took over the backup role (and dropped a lot of passes in the process), relegating Schoonmaker to the third guy at the position. (That does not include Ben Mason, who was more of a fullback.)

Now Eubanks (and Mason) have graduated, which should be good news for Schoonmaker. With All likely ascending to the starter’s role, that probably puts Schoonmaker in the #2 role. He has decent speed but has struggled a little as a blocker; however, he has gained 10 pounds since last season, squeezing those 10 pounds onto a shorter frame (fun fact: Schoonmaker was listed at 6’6″ in 2020 and is now 6’5″). Redshirt freshman Matt Hibner and true freshman Louis Hansen will both also be vying for snaps, but Schoonmaker is more experienced and has shown to be a quality backup.

Prediction: Backup tight end

23Jul 2020
Blog, homepage 2 comments

2020 Season Countdown: #53 Luke Schoonmaker

Luke Schoonmaker (image via Maize ‘n’ Brew)

Name: Luke Schoonmaker
Height: 
6’6″
Weight: 
242 lbs.
High school: 
Hamden (CT) Hall
Position: 
Tight end
Class: 
Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: 
#86
Last year: 
I ranked Schoonmaker #76 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He caught 2 passes for 54 yards and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating:
 81

The big question that everyone’s wondering about with Luke Schoonmaker is this:

Is Luke Schoonmaker the tight end version of Michael Cox?

So far in his career, Schoonmaker is averaging 27 yards a catch with a touchdown on 50% of his receptions. That’s pretty impressive.

Then again, those catches came against Rutgers and Illinois.

Schoonmaker was the #4 tight end in 2019, but with Sean McKeon gone to the Dallas Cowboys, he now presumably moves up one spot in the pecking order. We saw that Schoonmaker runs pretty well, but he still looked pretty willowy 231 pounds and blocked like the part-time quarterback he was in high school.

The added weight this off-season should help him, along with an additional year in the system. While Nick Eubanks should be entrenched as the #1 guy, Schoonmaker will be battling sophomore Erick All for backup snaps. All is probably a superior blocker and reportedly has some of the best hands on the team, but I think Michigan has three pretty good options at tight end this year.

Prediction: Backup tight end