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Things Discussed

• How Moore is doing his first year at Michigan
• There may be some stuff the Wolverines have yet to break out involving Zach Gentry
• The luxury of tight end depth
• Mustapha Muhammad's progress

[After THE JUMP: Sherrone Moore's mom loves him]

 

 

We talked to Zach (Gentry) yesterday, how nice is it for you to have a guy like Zach and like Sean (McKeon), who were already great last year?

 

“It’s been great. They’ve done an outstanding job of being leaders within the room, and then kinda stepping up with the offensive guys and making sure that everything’s on-point. The businesslike mentality that they’ve had in practice, it’s just been phenomenal to have those guys around and watch them grow, last year to this year.”

 

Do you find with guys like that who are more experienced you can almost take more time and talk to some of the younger guys who maybe haven’t gotten in?

 

“Yeah, you can do that. I think you still have to consider a lot of the time, those guys who are playing on Saturday, but it does help with the progression of those younger guys and getting them ready, too.”

 

Coach Harbaugh talked a lot about — talked Monday about how the three of them are blocking particularly well. How have you seen their growth individually in that part of the game?

 

“Yeah, it first starts with coach (Ben) Herbert and his staff. They just did an outstanding job putting on the right weight and strength, from the spring to now, the gains that they get — I hold the bag sometimes for them, and just feel a little bit of the thump when they hit it. So that was a pretty cool feeling, to first feel the difference of the strength there, but to watch those guys really improve from a fundamental standpoint with their hands and their feet has been really cool. And it really has come to fruition on gameday.”

 

How much of Gentry’s game haven’t we seen yet? Like, how far along in his potential have we seen?

 

“Yeah, I think we’re — every day gets better. Better and better and better, so we’re just excited to explore those new things we’re gonna do with him throughout the year. Won’t let that out of the bag yet.”

 

Coach Harbaugh praised you on Monday, do you often get that kind of validation not in front of the media?

 

“From my wife.”

 

(Everyone laughs)

 

“My mom will give me that sometimes, but my wife actually told me about it, which was pretty cool. I’m just blessed to be here and gonnna do whatever I can to make this team better and make this program better.”

 

You’re four games in now, how different does Michigan deploy the tight ends as opposed to what you were used to at CMU?

 

“Yeah, well last year at Central, we were more of spread operation, so really only in one tight end set the majority of the game, sometimes two. But here, we — as you guys see — we’re in three tight end sets, we’re early in the game, three tight end sets. Then I have all three of them yelling, ‘Don’t take us off the field until we score.’ I’m like, ‘Guys, chill out.’ But it’s really cool to be a part of a program that does that and be a part of that. When you have weapons like that, it’s good to use them like that.”

 

Was it a big adjustment for you, in terms of dealing with that many guys?

 

“No, I’ve done it before. When I was at Louisville, we had some pretty big tight end sets. Got in three and four tight end sets, so I’ve done it before. Had some background in doing it, but the skillset of these guys is a little bit different than the guys I’ve had previously.”

 

How much has (Jim) McElwain helped you?

 

“Oh, he’s awesome. He’s my — he’s right next to me. So, one, he’s hilarious. So people probably don’t see that, but he’s an awesome coach to be around. Obviously being a head coach and being an offensive coordinator, from his — seeing things from his perspective is really awesome and really helpful. I try to take notes from him as much as I can.”

 

What have you seen from Nick Eubanks in terms of his development?

 

“Yeah, first from a playbook standpoint, he’s definitely grasped the playbook on a different level. And his physicality, especially in the run game, has really excelled. And he’s taken a lot of ownership in that. And from a pass game standpoint, he still has the athleticism, still fast, pretty strong. So I think those two still continue to be used, but he’s really excelled from a run game standpoint.”

 

Is there more you’d like to see from him?

 

“Yeah. Just continue to develop. Really from all the guys, there’s — they’re nowhere near their ceiling. This year, you’re just gonna continue to progress for us, and the competition’s just gonna get tougher and tougher and tougher. So, they gotta continue to step their game up every week.”

 

What kinda things do you have in mind for Zach down the road?

 

“Just can’t let you know. I mean, he’s just gonna get better. There’s so many things you can do with a man that’s 6-8, 265 pounds, and can run like that. So, it’s gonna be fun to watch.”

 

Have you worked with someone like that?

 

“No, I have not. And he’s unique cause of his background, what he’s done and what he’s played. So he’s definitely a different type of kid than you’ve ever been around. And he’s a joy to be around. Every time you see him, he’s got a smile on his face.”

 

He says he still throws

 

“Yeah, he throws in warm-ups and stuff. We’ll see what happens.”

 

Does that work — does it come in handy elsewhere?

 

“When we’re in individual drills. About it.”

 

Did you watch any tape of him from last season — I’m sure you did. Were you surprised at how, not that many years removed from having played the position, that even last year he was able to get that big, that low and all the things?

 

“Yeah, I really was. But he’s just a special athlete to be that big and bend that well and all the things he does with his body, body control. It’s really special. So I wasn’t more surprised when I watched, he just keeps getting better, cause that’s just the type of player he is.”

 

We haven’t heard a ton about Mustapha Muhammad yet, I’m wondering, how’s he coming along?

 

“He’s doing good. He’s battling a hamstring injury early, kinda has gotten over that, so he just keeps progressing, getting better. Him and Luke (Schoonmaker), they’re gonna be really, really good players. So it’s just continuing to bring those guys along, and they got three good ones to look up to.”

 

Where does he specifically need to improve most right now?

 

“Just the knowledge of the playbook. Like any normal freshman. From an athletic standpoint, both those kids are very, very good athletes. Strong kids. And you know, just watching him in practice, they’re just getting stronger and faster. So they’re gonna be really good to work with.”

 

Zach talks a lot about his development as a blocker, what have you seen out of his progress this year in the receiving game?

 

“Being able to get to spots quicker. Getting in and out of his breaks quicker, knowing exactly where the quarterback’s gonna be with his thought process. His background playing quarterback, he kinda knows systems, knows concepts and where guys are supposed to be, but watching him getting out of breaks and then releases, there’s not many times — it’s like the touchdown, guy was trying to tackle him and he just threw him on the ground. But just being physical with his hands. Those things is really where he’s starting to excel.”

 

What about his chemistry with Shea (Patterson), on or off the field?

 

“It’s really good. The crazy thing about Shea, when he came in here, you would think he’d been here for years. Not only with Zach, but with the whole team. The offense, receivers, tight ends, running backs, O-linemen, he’s just got a natural chemistry, cause of the kind of kid he is.”