Why Erick All's stunning drop didn't faze Michigan's Jim Harbaugh: 'I love him'

Erick All came this close to scoring his first career touchdown this past weekend.

In the third quarter of Michigan football's 49-24 win at Minnesota, the Wolverines dialed up a play-action pass. Quarterback Joe Milton handled the snap and took a couple steps to his right behind a pulling guard, acting like he would run the ball. All, lined up at tight end, ran toward a linebacker as if he were blocking — then split off down the seam.

He was wide open, and the ball was perfectly delivered by Milton. The end zone beckoned.

All simply dropped the ball.

Monday afternoon, as he recalled the play, All sighed. He couldn't explain the drop. But he could explain the very next play, when Michigan called another play-action pass. Milton hit All in the flats, and he cut upfield for 27 yards to set up the offense with a first-and-goal at Minnesota's 6.

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“After dropping that ball, I was just way too excited," All said. "I feel like the coaches knew that and they gave me the second opportunity. If it weren’t for that second play, I never would have been able to redeem myself and I think it would’ve been in my head. They just had the confidence that I don’t really drop balls."

All's dropped touchdown may have been painful. But it didn't blemish his performance in the eyes of Jim Harbaugh.

"Erick All, I thought, was really impressive," Harbaugh said Monday. "The unheralded player, probably of the entire offense. His blocking was phenomenal: in line, on the perimeter, just tremendous. And he had the opportunity for a touchdown.

"He’s such a good catcher, so natural to catch it that he pulled his head away as the ball was coming in. He just expects to catch everything and always does. And then the very next play caught a ball in the flat and nearly scored. I love him. He’s a great competitor and real football player.”

Against the Gophers, the Wolverines relied heavily upon All at tight end — an unexpected occurrence given the presence of fifth-year senior tight end Nick Eubanks, who started 10 games in 2019. But while Eubanks traveled with Michigan to Minneapolis, he was unavailable to play, thrusting All into the starting lineup for the first time.

It has been a long journey to this point.

After starring at receiver at Fairfield High School (Ohio), All entered his freshman season with little knowledge of his new position. He also weighed between 225 and 230 pounds, less than most tight ends.

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All turned in a relatively successful debut in 2019, appearing in 11 games on offense and special teams while earning praise from the staff for his willingness to block.

But in reality, All says, he was just trying to stay afloat.

“Last year, I was messing up everything," All said. "Even now, I look back like, ‘How was I even messing this play up? It’s so easy.’"

All studied with Eubanks and read through the playbook on his own during the offseason. He watched film from last season of Eubanks and former tight end Sean McKeon.

"Everything clicked," All said.

His other objective of gaining weight proved to be more difficult.

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced Michigan to cancel spring practices and close the football facilities, All returned home to Ohio, where he soon realized he didn't have proper/ training equipment or a gym to work out at.

He considered his options. Then he remembered a conversation he shared during his freshman year with linebacker Joey Velazquez, a classmate also from Ohio.

“If you’ve ever seen Joey, he’s always been strong and big and built,” All said. “And I'm like, ‘Man, what do you do?’ He said, ‘Man, if you stayed with me, you would know.’ ”

During the shutdown, All asked Velazquez — also an outfielder on the baseball team — if he could take up his previous offer. He expected Velazquez's family to decline. Instead, they agreed to take him in.

"After knowing his family, I’m not surprised that they said yes," All said, "but (back) then, I was like, ‘Wow, they’re really going to let me come live with you guys, for this long?’ It was unexpected.

All lived with the Velazquez family for "two to three months." He and Velazquez worked out daily with Mike Davies, a Columbus-based trainer who, according to All, has trained Arnold Schwarzenegger. And when they returned home, All packed on the calories to ensure he was adding weight.

"Literally every time you would come downstairs, there was food on the table waiting for you; a nice, full-course meal," All said.

In All's words, staying with the Velazquez family was "probably the best decision I ever made besides going to Michigan." He met people that he now considers "a second family" — and he's already seeing a difference on the field, due to his added bulk.

"I felt like I wasn’t strong enough to put people on the ground," All said. "Now, I’m at 245 pounds. During the season I feel like it’s a huge difference. I feel like I have control. I feel cool after the game. It’s a real world of difference, for sure, but being bigger and stronger is so you can have that dominance and over-the-top edge as a player at such a high level.”

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's Erick All impresses Jim Harbaugh despite drop