Luke Schoonmaker: Playing at Michigan 'built me into the player I am today'
Michigan Wolverines football tight end Luke Schoonmaker boosted his draft stock at the 2023 NFL Combine. His unofficial 4.63-second 40-yard dash ranked fifth among tight ends, his 10’7″ broad jump slotted second and his 4.27-second 20-yard shuttled checked in fourth. On-field drills went well, too, and that was important since he sat out the Shrine Bowl with a shoulder injury.
He wanted to show teams what he’s all about, both on the field and in interviews.
“I’m a hard worker, looking to better myself all the time,” Schoonmaker explained. “I just really give my best and do what’s asked of me in whatever it is. I take great pride in it.”
RELATED
• Michigan football: 7-round mock draft sim following NFL Combine
• Luke Schoonmaker, Ronnie Bell put together strong NFL Combine days
Schoonmaker has always been a strong pass-catcher, but was featured more as a blocker during his first four seasons at Michigan. With Erick All injured last year, he took on more of a role and shined with 35 catches, 418 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“Just being able to do both aspects of the position — blocking and the pass game — and being able to be in-line or in the slot really well and being consistent,” Schoonmaker said of what sets him apart from other tight ends.
Schoonmaker, who said his favorite pump up song is UFC fighter Paddy The Baddy’s entrance music, watches a lot of tape on San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle — a four-time Pro Bowler — and loves the way he “has fun” with the game. Kittle is known as one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, an area that Schoonmaker embraces too.
“It’s honestly a fun thing to do,” the Michigan tight end said of blocking. “I had a lot of fun over the years, just being able to be a part of that part of the offense. Plenty of different kinds of blocks in there. Again, just really being able to do what’s asked of me. I had a great O-line, too, that I could communicate with and play great games with. But yeah, it’s a fun deal.”
In 2022, the Wolverines had multiple tight ends on the field for 52.8 percent of their offensive snaps last year (64.3 percent of runs and 34.3 percent of passes), per Sports Info Solutions. That offense prepared Schoonmaker for the NFL, he believes. He also got to learn behind other players at the position while in Ann Arbor, including Zach Gentry (now on the Pittsburgh Steelers), Sean McKeon (Dallas Cowboys) and Nick Eubanks.
“They’ve really built me into the player I am today, each in their own way,” Schoonmaker said. “Zach, Sean, Nick — just great guys that I was able to really be excited to come into that room every day and work with them and go out onto the field with them and watch them at one point, and then sometimes be on the field with them.
“They take off, and I just become them at some point. It was so awesome to be able to have that, and the guys that they are off the field, too, was awesome.”
Michigan head man Jim Harbaugh runs his program like an NFL organization, plenty of Wolverines have said, and Schoonmaker loved his experience playing for him.
“Coach Harbaugh, it was such a pleasure playing for him,” the Michigan tight end said. “His mind’s always thinking about something, and I just really liked his coaching style. I think it was very similar to how I am as a player, as a person — just really traditional, gritty and blue collar.
“Of course, he had plenty of great stories after practices, and the team just really appreciated him. He really took care of us, knew when it was almost too much for our bodies and when we had to dial it down.
“It was awesome being able to come up after games, after wins, too, and just see him so happy, so emotional, because I think we have come a long way in the last few years, from what it was in 2020 and to be able to have the past two years that we did, it’s been a pleasure to play for him and see what it was before and now.”
