Wipe that crust away from your eyes, Auburn fans. What you might have seen or heard during the Tigers’ first scrimmage on Saturday was the use of a tight end.
You see, a tight end is …. okay, maybe I don’t need to explain what that position is but, during the Gus Malzahn era, that player has widely been ignored in the passing offense. C.J. Uzomah was the only key player during Malzahn’s tenure to make a mark at the position but with Chad Morris now leading the offense, it could once again become a feature in the passing game.
“Looking at the stat sheet, the tight ends had four catches or five catches during the scrimmage,” Malzahn said. “He likes to throw to tight ends. He likes to utilize 11 personnel (one tight end). He uses 12 personnel, which is two tight ends. I think it’s a good changeup. We have some guys that are competing for those positions.
“It’s real hard in one week to say anybody has stood out. The two freshmen coming in, one thing I can tell you is they are as talented as we thought. They have the talent. Now, the experience and getting used to the physicality and everything that goes with it, we’ll have to see how that goes and give them enough scrimmage reps the next couple of weeks.”
Auburn isn’t lacking from talent at the tight end spot either. Tyler Fromm returns along with John Samuel Shenker who can fill that role. Who might become a standout is true freshman Brandon Frazier, who stands at 6-foot-7 and is a big target in the red zone for Bo Nix.
No matter who wins the starting position, it will be nice to see another weapon utilized on offense.