Michigan TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr. talks first career touchdown

Michigan tight end Tyrone Wheatley Jr. found the end zone in Saturday’s 41-8 victory over Illinois. Wilton Speight dropped back and found Wheatley for a 21-yard score with 7:52 left in the first quarter.

“I think I emerged a little bit,” he said. “Earlier in the week, coach Jedd Fisch came up to me and wanted to get me a play, so he showed me the play and practiced on the sideline with coach a lot this week. Then in the game we got down in the red zone and he called it. I got a chance to score, so I caught it and got a touchdown.”

The touchdown marked the first career catch and first career touchdown for the redshirt freshman. While he scored

“Originally I was a receiver and I was small in high school my freshman and sophomore year,” Wheatley said. “I didn’t get big until my junior year when I got ready to play defensive line in college and obviously I’m a tight end now.”

His father, Tyrone Wheatley, played at Michigan from 1991-1994 and was taken with the 17th overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. During is time at Michigan, Wheatley was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (1992), a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten winner (1992-1994), and a two-time Big Ten champion (1991, 1992).

Wheatley gives a lot of credit to Michigan starting tight end Jake Butt, who works with the redshirt freshman all the time.

“I have learned a lot from Jake Butt,” he said. “Jake is one of the best tight ends to play the game. Every time I take a rep he is coaching me.”