How Nick Eubanks Became a Top Tight End and Harbaugh Favorite

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jim Harbaugh has a knack for developing outstanding tight ends in the college ranks, and he knows the goods when he sees them.

University of Michigan junior tight end Nick Eubanks has the goods, according to his coach.

"I like everything about Nick," said Harbaugh. "Nick Eubanks is one of my favorite players that I've ever coached. He's been really good. He's always been really athletic. He can run, catch and change his direction. But he's really improved immensely as a blocker. That's the thing that's separating him as someone who can block in line as a tight end and catch at the line of scrimmage and also has the ability to gain separation and catch the football and get down field."

The Wolverines have used two tight ends with regularity since Harbaugh arrived five seasons ago, and that isn't going to change now that the team is running a spread offense under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who helped develop a heck of a tight end last year at Alabama in Minnesota Vikings second-round pick Irv Smith Jr.

Eubanks has replaced Pittsburgh Steelers fifth-round pick Zach Gentry and is set to join senior tight end Sean McKeon in a powerful tandem.

Harbaugh has coached three first team All-America tight ends in Michigan's Jake Butt (2017) and Stanford's Coby Fleener (2011) and Zach Ertz (2012). Fleener and Ertz were second-round picks by the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, and have gone on to great success in the NFL. Ertz is a two-time Pro Bowl pick. Butt was selected in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos after suffering a knee injury in the Orange Bowl, and knee problems have slowed his pro progress.

So, when Harbaugh offered such high praise for Eubanks, it was worth taking notice.

"I got to sit next to him before a photo session," Eubanks said, "and before I sat down, he said, 'You were hand-picked.' I said, 'Oh, man.' That's kind of a plus for me. So, that's my dude, man."

Harbaugh recruited Eubanks, now 6-foot-5 and 256 pounds, out of American Heritage School, a private, college prep school in Plantation, Florida. ESPN rated him the nation's No. 2 tight end/H-back.

"We've become very close -- especially with him knowing my father," Eubanks said of Harbaugh. "My father's texting him all the time to check up on me. He's been a great coach and a great friend for me."

Eubanks
Eubanks notched his first career touchdown in a game against Indiana last season

Eubanks had eight catches for 157 yards and one touchdown last season while playing behind Gentry and McKeon. Those numbers could soar this season, but his blocking assured Eubanks of additional playing time.

Where has he improved in that area?

"Being able to block gaps and being able to move dudes," said Eubanks. "Blocking is more about moving dudes out of the way, but I became great at that."

Michigan tight ends coach Sherrone Moore has developed his technique and attitude for the position's dirty work.

"That's my angel right there," said Eubanks. "He's basically taken me under his wings and is one of the best coaches I've met. He wants to push you. He wants to get the best out of you. I'm happy to have him as a coach.

"Mostly with Coach Moore, it's been mindset, just being able to think you can move guys. Like I was telling a freshman, Erick All, 'You don't have to be big enough to move somebody. You've just got to have the proper technique and leverage to be able to move people.'"

Eubanks added that offensive line coach Ed Warinner also has contributed to his development.

Playing tight end is comparable to the decathlon in track and field. Players must combine both the big man's game and a speedster's game from play to play.

His speed is the first thing that grabs people's attention. Eubanks streaked 48 yards with a reception against Florida in his first game in 2017, and he fits perfectly into the spread offense's speed-in-space mantra.

"That's a key factor for me," said Eubanks. "Most people don't expect guys like this (tight end) group to be fast, but we're going to create a lot of mismatch problems."

Eubanks loved watching recently-retired New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski but also studied Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers along with Ertz. He took to watching film of Irv Smith Jr. once Gattis arrived.

"I try to shadow some of my technique off those guys," said Eubanks. "It definitely helps."

Freshman tight end All from Fairfield, Ohio, and sophomores Mustapha Muhammad and Luke Schoonmaker also provide quality depth to what Gattis considers a premier pair in Eubanks and McKeon.

"We really challenged Nick coming out of spring," Gattis recently told reporters, "and to see where Nick is today, those two guys, I hands-down believe, are the best two tight ends in the country."

Eubanks said he was more of a "flex receiver" in high school and had 49 receptions for 752 yards and seven touchdowns in his final two seasons, helping his Fort Lauderdale area school to a state championship as a junior.

"Coming from high school I was always like a flex receiver," said Eubanks. "We had about 20 plays where I had my hand in the dirt. So, I played tight end, but I had a moment at the beginning of practice (this preseason) when Harbaugh came up to me and said, 'You became good at blocking.' I was like, 'Yeah, Coach, I'm trying.' He was like, 'I know this is at the next level. A lot of guys can catch the ball, but how many of them can block?'

"Ever since then, I just began attacking blocking, blocking, blocking. I knew that would be very good for me down the road."

One of the many reasons Harbaugh likes Eubanks so much is that he's well-rounded. He's pursuing a marketing and sales track certificate in the Ross School of Business.

"It's been a challenge for me with those classes," said Eubanks. "It's a good transition for me because I was going to master computer science, but then I started getting into marketing more. It's a thing of beauty -- something I want to continue when I get out. It's been great so far."

He said he loves being competitive in classes as well as on the field and said the way the Wolverines have been going at it this preseason ("Pounding it, pounding it, pounding it.") bodes well for the regular season, which will begin Saturday night (Aug. 31) with Middle Tennessee State visiting Michigan Stadium.

Eubanks has been a contributor from the start, but now he's in position to become a major factor in the offense. What's enabled him to make that jump?

"My team support -- just those guys who believe I can make a big impact," said Eubanks. "Then, it's been about persevering and being able to gain experience."

He watched film with Gentry and McKeon to improve his own blocking ability: "If they could do it, I knew I could do it, too."

Focus is the constant in everything he does.

"It's a big year," said Eubanks. "We've got a different offense, great coaches, new coaches. They want the best for us, and it's always been about the coaches putting us in the right position. We've just got to execute."

Eubanks, his eyes dancing as he spoke, said he can't wait.

His time has arrived.