TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL this past season but finished as Iowa’s leading receiver, catching 21 passes for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. Despite having another year of eligibility if he wanted it, he declared for the NFL Draft.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown before suffering a season-ending ACL injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman led Oklahoma State to a 10-4 record this season. Things started off a little rocky, but he ultimately locked down the starting job and went 304/501 (60.7%) for 3,460 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also ran 26 times for 24 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will return to the Cowboys in 2024 for a seventh season of eligibility.
Name: Matthew Hibner Height: 6’5″ Weight: 254 lbs. High school: Burke (VA) Lake Braddock Position: Tight end Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: #88 Last year: I did not rank Hibner. He made 2 catches for 15 yards, 3 tackles, and 1 fumble recovery. TTB Rating: 72
How did you guys let me get away without ranking Hibner?!?!?! What in God’s name is wrong with you people?!?!?!
I legitimately don’t understand how I have not ranked Hibner in the countdown since his freshman year in 2020.
Okay, so let me recap his career so far since I haven’t discussed him since prior to his freshman year:
Hibner redshirted in 2020 and then has seen steady playing time increases over the past couple years. He played in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, including five at tight end. I started to pick up some buzz about him prior to 2022, when there were suggestions that he was one of the freakiest all-around athletes on the team. He played in thirteen games last year, including eight at tight end, and started to make a bit of an impact with 2 receptions for 15 yards, 3 tackles, and 1 fumble recovery on special teams.
This past spring he had one of the more exciting offensive plays of the spring game with a long catch and run from Davis Warren, albeit finishing the play with a pretty embarrassing stumble:
Up until he got tripped up by the turf monster, though, he showed some nice acceleration and speed, and he was maybe on his way to outrunning the secondary for a touchdown.
This season the depth chart has cleared out for him. Erick All (Iowa), Joel Honigford (NFL), Luke Schoonmaker (NFL), Carter Selzer (graduation), and Louis Hansen (UConn) have all departed, and the only transfer replacement has been Indiana’s A.J. Barner. While Barner and Colston Loveland will probably get the majority of snaps, the #3 tight end spot is open and looks to be Hibner’s. Redshirt freshman Marlin Klein and redshirt sophomore Max Bredeson will also get snaps, but I’m guessing Hibner will be the third most used guy.
Okay, it’s time to put some thoughts about the spring game on paper.
QUARTERBACK: We know what J.J. McCarthy brings to the table, and Michigan was never going to let him factor into the run game, so whatever. This comes down to thoughts on the backups. After watching Michigan have a good 1-2 punch the past two years with McCarthy and Cade McNamara, there is a big question mark at the #2 quarterback spot in 2023. I thought redshirt sophomore Davis Warren once again outplayed the competition, which comes from Alex Orji and Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle. Tuttle had a couple decent throws and showed some decent athleticism on the run, but Warren is more accurate and probably a better decision maker, despite the fact that Tuttle is a sixth-year player. Orji has decent arm strength but leaves something to be desired when it comes to his timing and accuracy; running is the best part of his game, and he’s a change-up guy. I would put him at #4 on the depth chart.
Name: Matthew Hibner Height: 6’4″ Weight: 230 lbs. High school: Burke (VA) Lake Braddock Position: Tight end Class: Freshman Jersey number: N/A Last year: Hibner was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 42 passes for 940 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with making 96 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups on defense. TTB Rating: 72
I guess I must have gone crazy for a while, because I don’t think I realized that Matthew Hibner – a little known recruit before committing to Michigan – finished up as the #12 tight end and #396 overall player in the 2020 class. It doesn’t surprise me so much from a talent standpoint, but it does represent a giant leap in the rankings.
Josh Gattis has mentioned that he likes guys with athleticism and basketball-type skills at tight end, and Hibner seems to have some of those talents. Lake Braddock split him out wide quite a bit, had him running deep routes, and even threw some quick screens to him. To average over 20 yards per reception on 42 catches is pretty impressive. Hibner is a natural athlete who can do a lot of different things. That doesn’t mean he will get on the field much in 2020, but he does have future potential. I think Michigan will be a little more spread-heavy in 2020 and de-emphasize the tight ends a little bit. Hibner should be the fourth tight end, but the #4 tight end isn’t critical.
