Exit: Nick Eubanks
As reported by Zach Shaw at 247
I remember reading his hello post and he was presumed to be a boom or bust candidate. With his Michigan career, I would put him at somewhere in the middle. Definitely not a bust. But I thought with his athletic profile he could have been a pass-catching savant. Hopefully he finds a role in the NFL and secures a long future with a pro team!
January 7th, 2021 at 11:18 PM ^
Thank you for your years of football, Nick. Best of luck in the future
I remember being so excited about Harbaugh's track record of NFL tight ends. In 6 years, the best prospect he's put into the league is a guy he didn't recruit who could never get his pro career started because of injuries. That's been the BEST product he's had.
January 8th, 2021 at 12:00 AM ^
To be fair, Jake Butt is probably the best tight end product anyone's ever had in school history
January 8th, 2021 at 12:02 AM ^
*Kyle Pitts has entered the chat*
January 8th, 2021 at 12:10 AM ^
Strangely, in this case, somehow Butts beats Pitts.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:41 AM ^
Jeremy Tuman, Tony McGee, Jim Mandich are in that discussion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerame_Tuman
January 8th, 2021 at 1:31 PM ^
No, those Names aren't creepily homoerotic at all.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
Ron Kramer, Jim Mandich
January 8th, 2021 at 1:37 AM ^
I remember being excited about his track record of QBs, his track record of....a lot of things that hasn't panned out. Sigh.
January 8th, 2021 at 7:12 AM ^
don't worry, just give it more time
January 8th, 2021 at 10:17 AM ^
How about 5 more years?
January 8th, 2021 at 7:39 AM ^
Bunting, McKeon, Eubanks were all pretty underwhelming. The best has probably been Gentry who had the dropsies at the worst times..
January 8th, 2021 at 7:56 AM ^
IMO, the problem is we try to feed way too many mouths on offense without moving at a fast pace (tempo). When you move only slightly faster than a snail and try to get 3-4 running backs, a fullback, 3-4 Tight ends involved and 4-5 WR during any given game, who actually develops?
January 8th, 2021 at 8:20 AM ^
Harbaugh wants to go, but there are no Pro offers because of how things worked in SF.
One big reason things have failed because Harbaugh refuses to CHEAT. How many people think that there are bagmen and boosters paying players at Ohio State? Alabama? Clemson? LSU? I think that everyone, including the fans at those schools would say yes. They Cheat. And you wonder why we only get the #10 class in the country at the TOP public university on planet Earth.
If I am Harbaugh, I want to go to the pros because there is none of that. The playing field is level. The NCAA is not there to eff everything up and give preferential treatment to those cheating schools.
January 8th, 2021 at 10:47 AM ^
I was actually surprised to see a lot of playing time go to younger guys when Eubanks was available. He seemed to catch some difficult catches and was able to get open.
Your point is definitely valid. To get guys more touches, you need more plays, which means you need a faster pace.
January 7th, 2021 at 11:24 PM ^
He was another one who did not 'ascend' under JH tutelage. This list is quite extensive now,.. but hey, well deserving of a freaking 5 yr extension?!.... just insane!
January 7th, 2021 at 11:44 PM ^
Every thread doesn’t need to turn into this.
January 8th, 2021 at 5:43 AM ^
you must be new here.
January 8th, 2021 at 7:27 AM ^
Did you know that if you click on someone’s username you can see how long it’s been since their join date? I’ve always been interested by why there are so many who joined right around when we did. I’m sure there was a specific thing happening then, but I don’t remember what anymore...
January 8th, 2021 at 8:25 AM ^
Pretty sure it's from the switch to the new logins from haloscan.
January 8th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
i'm sorry...it was a joke. you're one of the good ones, fwiw.
January 9th, 2021 at 8:23 AM ^
Thanks for the kind words; you are, too. I was actually trying to be a bit funny with what I said, too, but written words alone make seeing that hard sometimes. I was more meaning that it’s always to click that and to be reminded of context. Just seems like the other long time fellow travelers view all this stuff differently.
January 7th, 2021 at 11:31 PM ^
I remember his big catch downfield against Florida in the first game of 2017. I was at the game, and I was shocked wondering how Darboh got another year of eligibility after being drafted (same number and Nick was not on my radar yet). Unfortunately, he just did not have that many highlights at Michigan. Best wishes in the next step in your journey.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:51 AM ^
He should have been a big-bodied WR like Funchess. We had enough bodies at TE where we didn't need Eubanks to be in the 260-270 lbs range. Should have let him stay ~240 lbs and be a matchup nightmare for smaller CBs. I understand why they didn't do that with how deep the WR talent seemed at the time, but yeah something about hindsight.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:17 AM ^
Lots of would-of, could-of, should-ofs over the past 6 years...to be continued.
January 7th, 2021 at 11:45 PM ^
Man, I miss the days when Coaches Harbaugh could take a guy like AJ Williams - who had basically been useless previously - and coach him into a solid blocking and receiving threat.
Today's reality: 2020 Harbaugh would have made the same mistake with Devin Funchess that Hoke did.
January 8th, 2021 at 12:03 AM ^
Holy shit!
Nick stayed five years.
January 7th, 2021 at 11:47 PM ^
Eubanks apparently follows Nick Baumgardner on twitter I see.....
January 7th, 2021 at 11:59 PM ^
Eubanks was a curious case. He flashed early on against Florida and made a lot of plays. Though he seemed to average at least one false start a game, he improved as a blocker every year and had much better hands than basically every tight end on the roster since Butt. He should've been targeted more.
I know you can't necessarily get the most out of every player, but I think Harbattis could've done a lot more with him.
Wish you the best, Nick. Good luck at your next stop.
January 8th, 2021 at 1:42 AM ^
What skill position player has come even close to his potential under Harbattis? Under Harbaugh and any OC after 2016 in fact. I can't think of a single one. And there are scores of guys for which we wasted their talent.
January 8th, 2021 at 1:56 AM ^
Higdon, perhaps. He was basically a 2-time 1,000-yard rusher (he had 994 yards in 2017).
January 8th, 2021 at 9:27 AM ^
I believe Higdon and Haskins mustered up their improvements on their own volition. The players with the best measurables and the highest ceilings have been very mediocre. In the large picture, this reality is quite remarkable-and telling. And given the number of OLs who are playing on Sunday the problem here is quite well-defined.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:47 AM ^
So the players that improved did it on their own, but its the coaches fault for all other players who didn't?
January 8th, 2021 at 3:26 AM ^
You kidding?
More pickin':
So only either the last two and a half years or after 16, conveniently ignoring all those dudes who went to the NFL cuz they met their potential in '15 & '16, plus I'm sure you won't accept that any freshman in a 6 game season couldn't count......
"What skill position player has come even close to his potential under Harbattis?"
McKeon, Haskins, Bell, Tru, Giles Jackson, Grant Perry, Mason, All, Cornelius
You'll question these, but be wrong:
Peoples-Jones. Chris Evans, Nico, Charbonnet
Frosh who are probably there:
Corum, Roman, A.J., McNamara
"Under Harbaugh and any OC after 2016 in fact"
Add Gentry.
And a bunch of guys in '15/'16
January 8th, 2021 at 7:48 AM ^
None of those guys you listed besides Tru, Bell and Mason are good examples. Two of those are walkons.
You have been witnessing bad football for so long you dont know what reaching potential looks like. Nico our best receiver last year never even had 40 catches in a season. Guys like Roundtree, Gallon, and Funchess surpassed that easily.
January 8th, 2021 at 3:10 PM ^
McKeon was an #800 recruit, thus lower potential, and ended with the 11th most yards for a TE in Michigan history
Haskins was #975 and is tied for 10th in yards per carry for anyone with at least 100 rushes
Mason was #800 at LB and scored 10 TDs
Perry was #800s and is top50 in receptions
Giles, Cornelius and All might be stretches but no too far except for All
January 8th, 2021 at 12:07 AM ^
Good Luck Nick!
Thanks for staying when a lot around you cut like out like bitches.
Sorry that one pass couldn't hit the ground and not right into Scott fucking Nelson's hands (GoCubs!), whole lot might have been different.
But sometimes nothing seems to go right.
January 8th, 2021 at 12:12 AM ^
Will always remember his first TD. So joyful and emotional he nearly missed the two point attempt after.
Great long speed and looked great on those Harbaughffense big PA deep crossers (that often hit but we hated because they were two man routes). Wish they took advantage of that more.
January 8th, 2021 at 1:57 AM ^
Good Luck kid! Hope he is able to catch on somewhere
January 8th, 2021 at 1:59 AM ^
No issue how good Butt was, but better than Mandich?
January 8th, 2021 at 6:09 AM ^
Dang, seems like he's been here a long time. You could see the potential, but injuries really held him back from what could have been. Good luck to him.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:22 AM ^
I remember when he caught that bomb against Florida as a freshman(?) and I thought he was gonna be another great one. Never really turned out that way but he was a pretty solid player. I wish him the best
January 8th, 2021 at 6:52 AM ^
Best of luck, did he even play this season? I guess I thought he already left
January 8th, 2021 at 8:11 AM ^
He missed the start of the season due to injury.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:21 AM ^
Good luck to him. He's got some skills but always felt inconsistent. But sometimes guys can figure it out later.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:55 AM ^
I think “Exit” is a poor convention if a player is graduating and/or declaring for the draft. Nick Eubanks ascends? Matriculates? There are definitely guys where Exit is appropriate.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
I don't remember hearing his name mentioned this year during any games...oh well, good luck Nick!
January 8th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
Go watch the first pass from Milton to Eubanks in the Wisconsin game. Or maybe you better not.
January 8th, 2021 at 10:18 AM ^
Milton is possibly the worst quarterback in the 50 years of my lifetime, even RR guys were better, as painful as that is to say
January 8th, 2021 at 10:38 AM ^
Worse than Threet & Sheridan? ?
January 8th, 2021 at 1:33 PM ^
You realize the pass he's referring to was right in the palms of his hands, correct?