Michigan football countdown to kickoff: 85 days until 2022 season
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 3 opener against Colorado State. We’ll discuss the current Michigan events, upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
As the summer rolls along, we find ourselves just 85 days away from Michigan kicking off its Big Ten Championship title defense. The No. 85 harkens back to Paul Seymour, who wore the number from 1969-72 while playing for Bo Schembechler.
Seymour was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1950 and grew up in nearby Berkley, attending Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak. His older brother, Jim Seymour, was a star wide receiver at Notre Dame and was a three-time All-American with the Irish. Jim Seymour still holds the record for most receiving yards in a single game for Notre Dame (276).
A third Seymour brother went to West Point and played running back.
Paul Seymour played split end for the Wolverines during Schembechler’s first season in Ann Arbor and tight end in 1970-71. He caught 19 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown while playing the position.
Seymour’s story at Michigan might be best-known for a third position he played his senior season.
Schembechler and Michigan converted Seymour to offensive tackle ahead of the 1972 season. His play was strong enough to earn consensus first-team All American honors.
Seymour’s pro career was back at tight end. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 7 overall pick in 1973 and played through the 1977 season. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978, but a failed physical nullified the trade. Seymour never played another NFL game.
Michigan’s current tight end to offensive line transferee
The current Wolverines have one starting offensive lineman with tight end experience. Graduate Ryan Hayes, the team’s left tackle, played tight end and defensive end in high school. Standing at 6-foot-7, Hayes weighed in around 250 pounds during his senior season. A redshirt season at Michigan and another development year allowed him to put on good weight. He enters the 2022 campaign at 307 pounds after starting all 14 games at left tackle in 2022.
Michigan has a position switch that went the other way, too.
Graduate tight end Joel Honigford started his Michigan career on the offensive line before transitioning to tight end during the 2020 pandemic season. He appeared in all 13 games last season and made five starts at tight end, primarily in a blocking role.
Given the increase in athleticism from edge rushers, it makes sense that there is a wave of tight ends bulking up to better protect quarterbacks. Seymour played offensive tackle at 6-5, 250 pounds, so things are different today 50 years out.
But when duty calls, you answer.
