Exit Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
[Marc-Gregor Campredon]
The kaiju dream is dead:
The Michigan Insider has learned that TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr. is no longer with the #Michigan program. @TremendousUM with a story forthcoming.
— Josh Henschke (@JoshHenschke) August 3, 2018
We got an insider report a few days ago that this was likely because Wheatley arrived at fall camp OT-sized and didn't want to move to a spot—OL or DT—where a 300-pound person generally goes on the football field. When Wheatley was around the right weight he looked like a potential star, but maintaining was never in the cards for whatever reason.
Michigan should be fine with returning starters in Sean McKeon and Zach Gentry plus third-year player Nick Eubanks; this might accelerate one of the incoming TEs if they're ready. Since Wheatley was almost exclusively a blocker last year they might be able to get away with jumbo OL snaps and keep that extra year around for Mustapha Muhammad, who'd presumably be the next guy in line.
Please keep MGoBlog in your thoughts as we place our Tyrone Wheatley Jr shrine next to Dennis Norfleet's in the Basement Of Sadness.
August 2nd, 2018 at 10:46 PM ^
best of luck to TWJr!
Sad things didn't work out for him here, but hopefully, he'll be able to get things going right at his next stop.
August 2nd, 2018 at 10:46 PM ^
This makes me sad.
August 2nd, 2018 at 10:50 PM ^
So saddened and disappointed. I loved this kid.
best of luck to him.
August 2nd, 2018 at 10:56 PM ^
Come back TWJ!
The Dline could use a 300 lb DT that almost was a TE.
August 2nd, 2018 at 10:57 PM ^
Best of luck to him moving forward. We all had high hopes for him when he committed.
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:04 PM ^
That's disappointing.
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:26 PM ^
He should’ve gone to Syracuse. Oh well.
August 3rd, 2018 at 12:00 AM ^
Still time...
but probably ends up near his dad, brothers or mom.
Syracuse currently uses a 4-WR or 5-WR spread offense, so if he were there, Wheatley most likely would have been... an OT or DL.
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:47 PM ^
I'm sorry about the kaiju Brian. I wanted it badly as well. Alas it was never meant to be. I imagine you find some solace in the potential for Gentry, McKeon and Eubanks to actually be the best TE trio in the country though.
Gentry is nearly kaiju sized now and primed to breakout. He's one of the less strong but more agile kaiju, like Mothra. Plus McKeon and Eubanks are NFL pedigree TE's entering their third years after having pretty good RS FR years on the field and flashing big ability; and in McKeon's case, production. They can all block better than upperclassman Jake Butt. They will get to face good matchups often because we have a depth of elite talents at receiver. They will rest assured have a much improved QB, and at minimum an incrementally less horrible OL and a good running game. Lastly, they are playing under a coach who has consistently coached and developed elite NFL TE's.
So yeah there is a good case to still be very excited about the TE position and the offense overall, even with losing the kaiju. Hail Harbaugh.
This just doesn’t feel right. This will never sit well with me, it seems sacrilegious
There just has to be more to this story. Was he not around for off-season workouts? What was the conversation like that led to his exit? Did he gain a ton of weight because he was playing fortnite all summer while eating bags a bags of Funyuns?
I agree. I don't want to blame anyone else because he is responsible for himself but where were his teammates? Were they around and encouraging him to work out or did he not get along with them?
I believe he missed spring camp with an injury, correct?
Must not have been able to bounce back.
Correct, broke a bone in his foot
He may have saw his NFL dream fizzling out at Michigan. Time to pull a Shane Morris and hope for an NFL tryout.
I will never understand why he didn't want to switch to OT. The depth chart at TE was backed up until he was a 7th year senior, and with young guns coming in each year. Meanwhile, there was a black hole at OT. He was great as a blocking TE, and with the athleticism he flashed at TE, he clearly could have been a very agile OT. Finally, those OT guys make a ton of money in the NFL, probably more than TE, especially if you aren't Gronk. (And news flash: if you can't make the top 2 TEs on your college team, you're not Gronk.)
Best of luck to him, and I hope he finds whatever he's seeking. I would really like him to get that Michigan degree, but whether he sticks around long enough to finish up a Bachelors is up to him. Farewell, and you'll always be welcome back as a Michigan Man.
Had super high hopes for TWJ. Bummed he is leaving. Would have made a hell of an OT. Could have been a good TE if he lost a few pounds. Could have had some great tackle eligible plays.
Good luck to you TWJ! I'll be pulling for him wherever he lands.
This is the way to go IMO in the twitter era. No twitter announcement. Just chuck up the deuces and move one. I imagine it is tough to stay at the appropriate weight with a broken foot in the spring and as someone who has been known to carry some extra weight around.
Best of luck sir!
August 3rd, 2018 at 10:16 AM ^
My Nephew's girlfriend had a class with him last fall. She said he was a really nice guy and very smart. Hope he does well.
August 3rd, 2018 at 11:06 AM ^
His potential at TE may have been a bit overblown, and based largely on one splashy play in the spring game. In real competition, he never really showed flashes of talent. He would probably have done better to seriously consider a position switch. Worked for Gentry and Hill.
August 3rd, 2018 at 11:42 AM ^
I get the impression Ty is not living up to his potential. Whether it’s TE, T, or DE it seems like a guy with his skill sets should be finding the field. Best of luck to him.
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