Joel Honigford

Class:
Fifth Year
Position:
TE
Height:
6-6
Weight:
257
Hometown:
Sugarcreek, Ohio
High School:
Garaway

At Michigan
• Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2022)
• Part of two Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines (2021-22), the first back-to-back winners in history
• Five-time letterwinner (2018-19-20-21-22)
• Has appeared in 45 games in his career including 34 at tight end and on the offensive line, with six starts at tight end

Graduate Student (2022)
• Appeared in all 14 games at tight end and on special teams with two starts to earn his fifth varsity letter
• Part of a Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line
• Shared Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Illinois
• Played snaps at tight end and on special teams against Colorado State (Sept. 3), Hawaii (Sept. 10), UConn (Sept. 17), Maryland (Sept. 24), Penn State (Oct. 15), Michigan State (Oct. 29), at Iowa (Oct. 1), at Indiana (Oct. 8), at Rutgers (Nov. 5), at Ohio State (Nov. 26), against Purdue in the Big Ten Championship (Dec. 3)
• Started at tight end against Illinois (Nov. 19), against TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl/CFP Semifinal (Dec. 31)

Fifth-Year Senior (2021)
• Appeared in 13 games at tight end and on special teams with five starts; caught one pass for 10 yards to earn his fourth varsity letter
• Part of a Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line
• Earned his first career start at tight end and also played on special teams against Western Michigan (Sept. 4)
• Played tight end and drew a target, while also contributing on special teams against Washington (Sept. 11) and Rutgers (Sept. 25)
• Played as a tight end and special teams contributor against Northern Illinois (Sept. 18), Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game (Dec. 4), and Ohio State (Nov. 27)
• Started at tight end against Indiana (Nov. 6) and at Wisconsin (Oct. 2)
• Made his first career catch, a 10-yard reception at Nebraska (Oct. 9)
• Contributed as a tight end and on special teams against Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl/CFP Semifinal (Dec. 31)

Senior (2020)
• Appeared in all six games on special teams and also contributed as a tight end/extra offensive lineman to earn his third varsity letter
• Played snaps as tight end against Michigan State (Oct. 31), at Minnesota (Oct. 24)
• Contributed on special teams against Wisconsin (Nov. 14), Penn State (Nov. 28), at Indiana (Nov. 7), at Rutgers (Nov. 21)

Junior (2019)
• Appeared in 10 games, playing along the offensive line in three games and contributing on special teams in all 10 to earn his second varsity letter
• Played snaps at right tackle and contributed on special teams against Middle Tennessee State (Aug. 31), Rutgers (Sept. 28), and Notre Dame (Oct. 26)
• Contributed on special teams against Army (Sept. 7), Iowa (Oct. 5), at Illinois (Oct. 12), Michigan State (Nov. 16), at Penn State (Oct. 19), at Maryland (Nov. 2), and at Indiana (Nov. 23)

Sophomore (2018)
• Appeared in two games at right guard to earn his first varsity letter
• Made his U-M debut as a reserve offensive lineman playing right guard against Western Michigan (Sept. 8)
• Played right guard as a reserve against Nebraska (Sept. 22)
• Academic All-Big Ten honoree

Freshman (2017)
• Did not see game action

Prep
• Attended Garaway High School (2017) coached by Jason Wallick
• In 2016, helped the Garaway offense rush for 1,592 yards on the season, averaging 132.7 yards per game while also registering 3,699 yards through the air
• In two playoff games, Garaway rushed for 296 yards and averaged 7.2 yards/carry
• Graduated with Honors and a member of the National Honors Society

Honors and Rankings
• 247.com three-star prospect and ranked as the No. 47 OT in the nation
• Rivals three-star prospect and rated the No. 19 player in Ohio
• ESPN four-star prospect, ranked as the No. 200 player nationally and the No. 24 OT in the country
• PrepStar three-star prospect and named PrepStar All-Midwest Region
• Named first-team Associated Press All-Ohio Division V as a senior and was a second-team pick as a junior after receiving All-Ohio Division V honorable mention as a sophomore.
• Earned 2016 Academic All-Ohio Football honors from the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association

Personal
• Joel Honigford was born April 27, 1998
• Father, Jim, played basketball for Ohio State from 1983-86
• Brother, Paul played basketball at Ashland University
• Brother, Clay is a linebacker for Mount Union
• Enrolled in the College of Engineering, studying mechanical engineering

Coach Drevno on Joel Honigford
"Joel is a very athletic big guy. I had a chance to see him play basketball, and I can tell you he moves well on the court, and I was happy to see his competitiveness come through. You can see his athleticism and the potential that provides, especially with his size. He has the frame on him to continue developing, and we are excited to see Joel continue to grow and get better."

In the Words of the Honigford Family
"Joel is the youngest of four children. He grew up in a rural area of Ohio located in the heart of Amish country. Joel has a fun-loving, charismatic personality with a great smile, and he loves to laugh. He is very entertaining and can change the mood of the room when he demonstrates his lip-syncing ability. Joel has a great sense of humor, but also has good discernment and knows when to get serious. He takes winning very seriously and performs well under pressure. Joel is self-motivated and is a very positive person. You will rarely hear him complain about anything.

"Joel is a three-sport athlete in basketball, baseball and football. We knew there was something special about Joel's athletic ability when he played pee wee football back in elementary school. During one of his games, one of the fastest players on the opposing team was running down the field for a touchdown. Joel was the biggest player on the field and the only one catching him. He has always been very quick and athletic for his size.

"During Joel's senior football season, the marching band was on the field playing at halftime. Joel had just returned to the field and was at the bench getting a football out of the team bag. The band was marching off the field playing, and surrounded him completely with nowhere for him to go. It was quite awkward for Joel but only for a few seconds. Joel embraced the moment and decided to show his ability to entertain as he began to dance. The home fans loved it! Most people wouldn't know that at 6'6", 280 pound, Joel was the kicker for our football team and would have been thrilled to be recruited for his kicking skills!

"Joel received the award of All-Ohio his sophomore, junior and senior years of football. Joel will be playing in the Ohio North/South All-Star game in April. He has also received the honor of being awarded one of the top 20 high school senior football players in Ohio for the Touchdown Club of Columbus.

"Joel has a solid and growing faith. He understands that all good things come from God and that he has been blessed with his talent for a reason and purpose greater than himself. The humility he has exhibited throughout this process has been such an example to so many. He has a fierce confidence and is a leader on and off the field."