Hello: Luke Schoonmaker
Michigan picked up a commitment out of left field—or, more accurately, the right coast—this evening when Hamden (CT) Hamden Hall tight end Luke Schoonmaker announced he'll be a Wolverine.
— Luke Schoonmaker (@LukeSchoonmaker) July 26, 2017
He's flown almost entirely under the radar; two of the four recruiting sites don't have profiles for him, and the other two have one article and zero scouting reports between them. He's apparently held his Michigan offer since participating in last month's Sacred Heart satellite camp.
Schoonmaker is the 11th commit in the 2018 class and the first at tight end, a position of significant need.
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
3*, #78 TE, #1748 Ovr |
NR TE | NR TE |
3*, 86, #32 TE, #762 Ovr |
NR TE |
At the time of this writing, Schoonmaker doesn't even have a Rivals or ESPN profile. I'm assuming 247 and Scout have given his film a once-over since there are no in-person game or camp reports; the former has him as a middle-of-the-pack three-star, the latter essentially left him unranked.
Schoonmaker apparently doesn't lack for size. Both 247 and Scout list him at 6'6", 225.
[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and more.]
SCOUTING
Since we don't have scouting reports, let's take a look at Schoonmaker's film. The first catch: he mostly plays quarterback for his high school team. The other catch: he's way, way better than the Connecticut small-school competition. Here are his midseason junior highlights:
And here is a single-game reel from the NEPSAC Mike Atkins Bowl (Class C championship), in which Schoonmaker capped Hamden Hall's 11-0 season with 203 yards and two scores passing and an additional 102 yards and two TDs on just five carries. The first play of the reel is Hamden Hall's first offensive snap; Schoonmaker runs in a QB sneak... from 87 yards out:
Most of the clips are of Schoonmaker at quarterback, so I jotted down some notes on the plays he lined up at tight end (timestamps from the first video):
1:00 — Good burst off the line, finds space up the seam, goes up for ball but not the cleanest high-point
1:19 — Gets pancake but only after losing initial block; poor initial pop then stops feet on contact; runner forced to bounce into likely TFL
2:55 — Wide open on short crossing route, underthrow takes him to ground on catch
3:05 — Better job of getting pop and moving feet on block, doesn’t sustain it
7:20 — Wide open again on deep crossing route, clean catch on high throw
7:36 — Good initial contact, stops his feet, loses defender for what appears to be a TFL (play cuts away early)
7:46 — Not a clean route (rounded off at break) but nice snag in some traffic
He looks to have good straight-line speed, and while he doesn't have a lot of wiggle, he's got yards-after-catch potential in that rumbling Jake Butt-like fashion—he can juke just enough to keep from getting hit square, at which point he can run through tackles from smaller defenders. I was impressed with his feel for the game; he makes good reads as both a thrower and runner, and while he won't make those same reads as a tight end, that football IQ will help him out. He also shows good vision as a runner.
He's certainly got the requisite size for the position. There's far too small a sample to get a feel for his hands, but on most of his catches he does a solid job of high-pointing and plucking the ball away from his body. He'll have a lot of work to do from a technical aspect, both as a receiver and blocker. He rounds off his routes; those cuts need to be a lot sharper to gain separation against better defenses. When blocking he shows a habit of stopping his feet upon initial contact, which causes him to lose a couple blocks that doom edge runs.
Schoonmaker is a developmental prospect, both because of his current level of competition and his relative lack of experience at the position he'll play in college. It's still easy to see why the coaches like him; he's got an intriguing combination of size, athleticism, and feel for the game. He's got the all-around athleticism this staff covets; in addition to being a pretty solid quarterback, he's a pitcher/1B on the baseball team.
OFFERS
Schoonmaker holds offers from Indiana, Rutgers, Temple, UConn, ECU, UMass, Miami (NTM), and Toledo, according to 247.
HIGH SCHOOL
According to the Rivals database, Schoonmaker would be Hamden Hall's only FBS signee since at least 2002. Michigan has only had 13 players from Connecticut in program history, most notably early Bo fullback Fritz Seyferth; the only to hail from Hamden was guard John E. Maturo, who suited up from 1946-48.
STATS
According to MaxPreps, Schoonmaker caught five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns as a junior. He also went 55-for-92 for 878 yards (9.5 YPA) with five TDs and five INTs while adding 623 yards and 13 TDs on 53 rushes (11.7 YPC).
FAKE 40 TIME
Schoonover's Hudl page lists an unsourced 40 time of 4.58 seconds, which gets four FAKEs out of five. That time would've been good for sixth among tight ends at this year's NFL Combine. While Schoonover looks fast for a tight end, that would be an elite electronic time.
VIDEO
More single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
Other than a probable redshirt, it's hard to predict how Schoonmaker's career will go given the limited available video (and the competition level). With his size and athleticism, he's got plenty of upside as a tight end; he'll also need a lot of development, especially as a blocker. He'll likely end up on a similar track as Sean McKeon, another tight end from an East Coast state not known for its high school football.
Ian Bunting, TJ Wheatley, Nick Eubanks, and McKeon (plus Zach Gentry) are slated to be on the roster when Schoonmaker arrives, so there shouldn't be any need for him to see the field right away. He'll work on refining his game and bulking up for a couple of years before vying for playing time, likely as a flex TE in the mold of Butt and Bunting; if he can't block well enough to play at all in-line, he could also try going the Gentry route and making it as an oversized receiver.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
This won't end Michigan's pursuit of tight ends. Texas four-star Mustapha Muhammad remains a solid bet to end up in the class, and Illinois four-star Luke Ford took a campus visit last weekend that reportedly vaulted the Wolverines towards the top of his list. After Devin Asiasi's early departure and Gentry's move to wideout, the coaches will want a second true TE in the class, possibly even a third if Muhammad and Ford both want in and they have the room.
Here's the class as it currently stands:
Insert stupid joke about it being from MSU or wherever. If you put a little thought into it, there's 120 FBS programs. Being ranked #886 is not so terrible.
Should have waited. What a fucking mistake.
did you pull an full Hello post together on the #1748 player on Scout this fast?
Because no one has written about him and there's hardly anything to scout.
.....learn from the masters Obi Butt Kenobi, Darth Funchess, Mace Tuman and Jim "yogurt" Mandich to wield your Riemersma and Kramer the darkside of Columbus.
Sorry, kids are on a Star Wars kick.
And since Harbaugh already chose Chris Evans, he has shown he is better at "star wars" than any of us.
Why are you comparing Chris Evans, 4* and #189 overall recruit, to Luke Schoonmaker, 3* and #1748 overall recruit?
Does not seem like an apt comparison...
...you're right and I am an idiot.
Or i'm not since Harbaugh knows more about evaluating players than any of us.
So is the point that Hatbaugh took the #187 recruit in the country and showed his talent as a true frosh to the point he almost singlehandedly made the game winning play in the Orange bowl?
That probably means the #1500 ranked guy that Harbaugh likes will have to wait till his red shirt junior year to be put on the Mackey watchlist.
Schoonmaker holds offers from Indiana, Rutgers, Temple, UConn, ECU, UMass, Miami (NTM), and Toledo,
And Michigan.
Holy shit, did we make his day when we offered.
The answer to Ruckert?
People got on me when I said "I'm not ready to hit the panic button, but this class isn't as expected." I'm still not ready, and I'll never be ready until Harbaugh completely blows it with a recruiting class which I believe will be never.
That said, I still believe you have to put THREE top 5 or 6 classes together with the 4th year being in the top 10-12 if you want the best shot at the playoffs. When you take a 4 year average of class rankings in any given you...you want to be in the top 4.
Like I said before...think about our team next year and all of the returners. Now add a true freshman OJ Howard, Cam Robinson, and Minkah Fitzpatrick to next years team. Those guys are sophomores by the time conference play rolls around their freshman year - not projects that require 3 years (which is fine, but not if you need/want immediately support in your 2-deep).
When I think of next year's team after all of the experience they'll get this season...if we can add some top flight freshman to fill in holes and contribute? We're a playoff calibur team.
We can't miss with this class, you can't miss with ANY class. But this class is sooo important. I truly believe it could take us from "contender if the chips fall the right way" to preseason top 4 with people PREDICTING we're in the playoff and us making good on those predictions.
Not a knock on this kid, he may be GREAT down the road...but at some point this class is going to have to add some key guys at key positions that can help us NEXT season. Let's go get a Devin Asiasi, a Chuck Filiaga, and a Lavert Hill to add with these soon to be Michigan men. Some Day 1 DUDES to mix in with these Year 3 DUDES.
I'm not knocking taking Schoonmaker, but for some of us, "ok" is not good enough. OK doesn't beat OSU.
OSU is recruiting out of the minds right now. We're not going to recruit like that. Nobody accept them and Saban is going to recruit like that. Hell, OSU probably won't even be able to replicate what they're doing right now going forward.
People are just going to have to accept that and get over it because we aren't going to match their recruiting right now. But our class is still great. We should still end up in the top 10. Everyone just needs to relax.
can make him an impact player. Welcome aboard! BUT we absolutely have to have a player named Mustapha Muhammad on this team. If only for his name.
Did Frey give out the offer at the camp?
Harbaugh was in San Diego later in the day, so I'm not sure he even attended. There seems to be little press of the event.
"That said, it's discouraging to see your main rival almost unable to take the entire line of 5* kids lining up for them and you're taking "trust the staff" types"
This is where I sit as well...I was hoping by year three Harbaugh would be able to get more 5* kids and that 4* would be the floor. I have a feeling this will be a very critical year for Harbaugh...need to beat OSU at home.
"I have a feeling this will be a very critical year for Harbaugh...need to beat OSU at home."
Are you serious?
FFS, he doesn't need to beat OSU this year (IMO, at least).
Why do so many people expect that? OSU is an elite team and they've been recruiting at an elite level forever. Harbaugh is temporarily hamstrung by small '14 and '15 classes that don't compare favorably with OSU's corresponding classes.
Next year is maybe the first reasonable year to talk about an OSU win. (Of course, it could still happen this year.)
Are you kidding me? Because he makes something like 9 million dollars a year! Because this is his third season! Because they're playing OSU the last game of the year so its like playing them after three full seasons of Harbaugh.
The people here who keep resigning to things like "Its cool if he doesn't win this year or next year, just wait till year 5,6,7" that's nothing saying he will be here. His job was to come in here, turn the program around, and beat OSU.
Saban in year two took his team to big bowl and won, and year three started his championship run. Alabama wasn't in a great spot before he got there. Harbaugh won't make excuses, and neither should the fans.
Kid caught 5 passes last year.....FIVE. Now hes the answer at TE? Yeah, I get it, he played QB. So why is this a committable offer right now? Because he's tall? Because he claims a 4.5 40? Because he caught a couple passes wearing shorts and T shirt? Just a weird class so far, needed to validate the great 17 class with some backup. So far I see maybe 3 kids that are capable of playing as frosh.
Jay Riemersma, who started life at M as a QB and converted into a, shall I say, pretty good TE? (Nine seasons in the NFL).
Once again, trust the coaches
Luke I am your father.
GO BLUE!
to trust the staff to develope these 2-3 star recruits. That is fine, except that we are also using as a potential for a mediocre season (9-3) and inability to compete with the Bama's and OSUs this year, the excuse that our Jr and Sr classes aren't as physically talented. Yes, the Sr class was Brady's, but if our staff is as advertised, then those those recruits should be ready NOW. Please give me the 4-5 stars.
A head scratcher at this juncture.
He'll probably follow the St Juste route and finish out the season in 4* territory
"Based on Lorenz's info, that 4.58 40 time looks like it deserves only 1 or 2 FAKES out of 5 - apparently Michigan timed him themselves."
I don't care who timed him - the Michigan staff, the New England Patriots staff, or Lemmy from Motorhead...
If it ain't an electronic time, it deserves all the FAKES.
So, you pollute this site with your extreme pessimism, too?
Keep drooling over 5-star recruits.
Those 5 star recruits take teams to the playoffs. You must be one of those guys that likes 3rd place in the BIG East. As long as everyone is having fun right?
Alabama Starters 2016
- 12 Five stars
- 9 Four stars
- 2 Three stars
Clemson Starters 2016
- 3 Five stars
- 13 Four stars
- 4 Three stars
- 1 Two star
- 1 Unranked (Hunter Renfrow)
Pretty clear what it takes to win it all. If youre happy with just being relevant then thats on you.
Well, Golly, didn't those very numbers you just yourself posted make it look like M 2017 will look quite similar to Clemson 2016 in terms of * power? And remind me, how'd THEY do?
One huge difference is Watson vs Speight, the MOST important position, which is why I'm a big Peters backer.
For those slobberingly impatient to beat Urbz/osu, tell us ONE THING M could've done differently in JH's time so far to overcome the terrible weakness left by Hoke at QB & on OL?
Without that you just don't beat teams with such great coaching & crootin... AND YET -we Damn well did all but beat them - in the toilet bowl - with the WORST, most one-sided officiating ever...!!!
Schoonmaker may or may not ever sign with M (I have my doubts), but I am sure we're on the right path!
Let's just say he was granted a fifth year down the road, it still means he graduated in 2022.....
we were one Harris away from Kurt going somewhere else I believe.
Not that I'm bitching (Jabrill peppers, Rashan Gary, DPJ) but I am curious how the mood is in the "war room" where these decisions are made. "Ok we just missed out on a player that fits our system perfectly, to a school that barely uses tight ends...let's take a flyer on this other kid that could be a project ".
Bottom line...I really feel like we need to come out and stun/ bitch slap osu this year to get rid of the momentum they have. Not that it will deter great player from wanting to go there , but at least put a feather in our cap that we haven't had in a while.
Ramble. Ramble. Ramble.
This kid is *tentatively* ranked higher than Sean McKeon from the '16 class. McKeon is already getting in the mix for PT and in the next couple of years could be a very decent option to catch passes in our offense, especially when Bunting is gone.
Let's give this kid a chance. 6'6 athletic tight ends are a great thing. I still bet we land Mustapha and even one other TE in the class.
this one will have 16-20. Big difference in ability to take a flier on a kid.
You don't think Harbaugh/Frey/Pep and the rest of the staff that was involved in this effort are aware that this class is smaller in size?
I agree that we should support anyone who accepts an offer to play at Michigan. Also, a lot of people are saying that Harbaugh and the staff have found another diamond in the rough, with a lot of raw talent. It's very possible that by three year or four in the system, he is a highly productive part of our offense.
Ruckert, however, is one of the top players in the class, and likely would have come in ready to play day one. (I just looked at his tape today.) Schoonmaker, on the other hand, caught five balls last year -- he is going to need time to develop.
Is that his family historically must have built boats, more particularly schooners. Either that, or beer glasses. That is all.
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