Maize n Brew Reporting Keith Heitzman will not Return for 5th Year

Submitted by alum96 on

Title says it all.  Thought with Khalid Hill/Bunting and perhaps Clark - Keith might go back to DE to provide depth in an unproven part of the team but it appears not.  Best of luck sir.

Keith Heitzman will also not return to #Michigan as a fifth-year senior.

— Joshua S. Henschke (@JoshuaHenschke) January 30, 2015

alum96

January 30th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^

The bullish take is Jim wants to make room for more recruits as he feels more confident some are headed here.  We only had 4 clear openings before today and now we have 6.

Uber bullish is Clark is coming and with Butt and Hill (and I guess AJ Williams) Keith was not facing much playing time.  I would have thought they could have flipped Keith back to DE this year as our backups are unproven.  He would provide some quality depth there.

Seeing these happen back to back, these feel more like coaches decisions than say Hayes.  All my own speculation of course.

alum96

January 30th, 2015 at 2:05 PM ^

Yes I was in process of editing to add him before you replied ;)

I am wondering if they use Bunting at all this year on the outside - he was in the 220s last year.  If he doesnt get to 240ish by this summer he migh be better used as another wideout  in 2015 (then TE in 2016) until someone establishes themselves across from Darboh.  Either way he seems more of a flex TE type like Funchess than a traditional TE like Butt/Hill/Clark. 

alum96

January 30th, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^

Well I dont want to get all maize colored glasses but Pickard has been crystal balled to Syracuse by a bunch of people since noon today i.e. when all this news starting coming to the surface.

So that would indicate that Pickard was told no room.  Which would bode well for Wheatley I suppose.  But would still leave 5 open spots since Pickard is not taking 1.

And it would indicate to me at least Wheatley might be a DE here after all.  Because there is no other DE on the horizon other than Wheatley  Last point could be off - just speculating. 

Also seeing a lot of Van Jefferson balls to UM since yesterday which is strange considering he has not even been on campus.

NoVaWolverine

January 30th, 2015 at 2:05 PM ^

And Countess and Morgan wouldn't be back if they hadn't had redshirts due to injury -- they both played significant time as true freshmen.

Let's hope the Hoke/Harbaugh transition class we welcome next Wednesday pans out better than the RichRod/Hoke transition class...

EDIT: I see someone beat me to this just below.

Sideline

January 30th, 2015 at 2:10 PM ^

Bellomy and Heitzman were both part of that 2011 Transition Class... Remaining on the team from that class are: 

 

- Blake Countess

- Raymon Taylor (Hoke Recruit)

- Delonte Hollowell

- Jack Miller

- Desmond Morgan

 

Heitzman and Bellomy were also Hoke recruited guys, Justice Hayes was apart of this class and was considered a 'save' from Rich Rod's guys...

 

EDIT: Didn't Realize Wile was a Senior this past season.

DowntownLJB

January 30th, 2015 at 1:58 PM ^

and then there were 5 fifth year seniors... (3 orginal scholarship guys)

 

quoting alum96 from the Bellomy thread:

 

And with that we have six 5th year seniors left - pretty damning stuff.  Only 4 were originally scholarship players - 2 of those are walk ons (Glasgow/Kerridge).  The only scholarship players left from the scorched earth class of end of RR/beginning of Hoke are Heitzman/Morgan/Countess/Miller.

BlueBarron

January 30th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^

Uh oh, Russell Bellomy, Justice Hayes, and Keith Heitzman all lived in my hallway during my sophomore year in South Quad.

And so did Blake Countess+Desmond Morgan...

UMaD

January 30th, 2015 at 1:58 PM ^

This is no bigger of a loss than Bellomy.  People wanted Heitzman to be something he was not.  We have more talented players at TE and at DE.  While WDE depth is an issue - we need speed and pass-rushing ability, not a plugger like Heitzman.

Thanks to Keith though. He was an unselfish team player while here. I always appreciate the guys who move around a little extra.

EGD

January 30th, 2015 at 2:28 PM ^

I think there's no way he'd see the field at TE in 2015 with Butt, Bunting, Hill, and even AJ Williams in front of him--plus the possiblity of Clark.

But at WDE, we basically have Ojemudia and Marshall.  We also have Jones coming in, but the recruiting sites have him around 235 lbs. tops.  Seems like we could use a veteran backup like Heitzman just in case Mario or Marshall were to go down.  

Then again, I suppose another option would be to move a guy like Charlton over to WDE and then have some of the tweener guys like Wormley play some snaps at SDE.  

Either way, from Heitzman's standpoint, a lot of bad stuff would need to happen for him to get significant time.  Can't blame him for moving on. 

 

Mich_Faithful

January 30th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^

We probably won't know the reasons behind each attrition that happens, have to believe it was mutually agreed upon between parties.

That being said, I'm  not surprised we're finding out right now. The coaches must be trying to see who does(n't) want to stay prior to NSD next week while giving those eligible for a 5th year as much time as possible to make their decision.

NoVaWolverine

January 30th, 2015 at 2:08 PM ^

Given AJ Williams' continued struggles w/blocking, and the Hoke regime's insistence on running 2-TE packages pretty often, I'm surprised Heitzman didn't get more time as the blocky-TE over Williams last season.

1974

January 30th, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^

IMO he exceeded expectations during his RS Freshman year. He was a low 3-star recruit who contributed meaningfully for the better part of two seasons. Good luck to him.

Don

January 30th, 2015 at 2:35 PM ^

He's probably realized that an NFL career is not going to happen, and if he's got his degree—or is just within a few credits of it—he probably wants to move on with his life while his body (and brain) is still relatively intact.

LSAClassOf2000

January 30th, 2015 at 2:58 PM ^

Maize'n'Brew has a short piece here - LINK

Heitzman had a nice summary of his time at Michigan though:

"The past few years have been an unforgettable journey full of ever lasting memories, both exciting and saddening," Heitzman said on Instagram. "I have experienced the spoils of winning and the heartbreak of losing. I have always blamed my struggles on external factors and never realized that all of this was part of the process of becoming a Michigan man. It has been the most challenging yet rewarding 4 years of my life and for that I will be forever grateful."

Best of luck to him in the future.