Early position outlook: Many fresh faces at tight end

Alabama transfer Jahleel Billingsley was one of Texas’ best pickups in the offseason.

The tight end position will have a much different look in 2022.

The Horns lost three-year starter, Cade Brewer, to graduation and his backup Jared Wiley to the transfer portal.

With Texas in need of experience at tight end, Alabama transfer Jahleel Billingsley decided to reunite with Steve Sarkisian in Austin.

Billingsley totaled 37 receptions for 559 yards and six touchdowns in his three years at Alabama. He will serve as the older guy in the room with lots of young, but unproven talent behind him.

Texas has a trio of sophomores who will compete for playing time this spring.

Gunnar Helm, probably the best blocker of the group, got the most playing time out of the three a season ago. Helm appeared in all 12 games, mostly on special teams.

Former five-star Ja’Tavion Sanders has one of the highest ceilings out of anyone on the roster. Sanders had a bit of trouble adjusting to the college game in his freshman season, but he will now have a full offseason with the program to develop his game.

Juan Davis is a guy Steve Sarkisian speaks very highly of. Davis only played in two games last season recording just one catch.

If Billingsley picks up where he left off in Tuscaloosa and the younger guys step up, tight end could be one of the best position groups on the roster.

Texas’ TE situation with Jared Wiley entering the transfer portal

Texas will need to replace both starting tight ends next season. Who will they look to?

Texas’ offense will look much different at the tight end position in 2022. Continue reading “Texas’ TE situation with Jared Wiley entering the transfer portal”

Watch: Michael Mayer destroys Stanford defender

(Heart Emoji)

It was nothing short of laughable earlier this week when Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer was left off the list of three finalists for the Mackey Award which goes to the nation’s best tight end each season.

Mayer responded by having a fantastic first half at Stanford in Notre Dame’s regular season finale, pulling in five receptions for 61 yards in the game’s first-30 minutes.  His biggest highlight of the first half however was in another part of the game he stars in, the blocking game.

Michael Mayer is the best tight end in college football whether the award goes to him or not.

Notre Dame leads 24-0 at halftime, as we post this.  If the second half gets as lopsided as it appears to be headed then I’ll probably find myself going to back to watching this no less than 64 times before midnight.

Related:

College Football Playoff Top 25 Scoreboard – Rivalry Week

Does Michigan’s massive win over Ohio State help Notre Dame?

Alabama somehow survives at Auburn but it comes at a cost for Tide

Report: Packers doing homework on tight end options at trade deadline

The Packers could be preparing to make a move at tight end at the NFL’s trade deadline.

The Green Bay Packers could be preparing to make a move at tight end at the NFL’s trade deadline.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Packers are believed to be doing homework on tight ends after losing Robert Tonyan to a season-ending knee injury.

Among the options listed by Fowler are Evan Engram of the New York Giants, Hayden Hurst of the Atlanta Falcons, Jordan Akins of the Houston Texans and Jacob Hollister of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The deadline for making a trade is 3:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

The Packers were dealt a blow when Tonyan, who has 13 touchdown catches over the last two seasons, went down with a torn ACL during the second half of the Packers’ win over the Arizona Cardinals last Thursday night. He’ll miss the rest of the 2021 season, leaving behind a need for a pass-catching tight end in Matt LaFleur’s offense.

Engram made a Pro Bowl for the Giants last season and caught a touchdown pass on Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. Hurst plays in a similar offense in Atlanta but isn’t getting as many opportunities behind Kyle Pitts. Akins had a strong year with Deshaun Watson as the Texans quarterback last season. Hollister was a productive player for the Seahawks before signing in Jacksonville.

If the Packers don’t make a move, the team would move forward with Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, Dominique Dafney and Tyler Davis at tight end. Lewis is a traditional inline blocker type, while Deguara and Dafney are more H-backs than traditional tight ends.

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Key Players for the Oklahoma Sooners defense vs. Nebraska

A look at the three players on the Oklahoma defense that are key players against Nebraska.

Oklahoma will wrap up its nonconference schedule with their toughest opponent thus far in Nebraska. The game is symbolic as an old rivalry is renewed on the 50th anniversary of the ‘Game of the Century.

On the field, OU will face a noticeable step up in competition as opposed to their games against Tulane and Western Carolina University. Defensively, they will have to contend with one of the best running quarterbacks in the nation in Adrian Martinez.

Martinez, a veteran quarterback has seen a lot of football over the years and will hardly be scared of the moment. However, his relatively young offensive line will line up across from one of the best front sevens in the country. Pressure is something Martinez is very familiar with. We wrote about that here.

Oklahoma will be without some key players on the back end of their defense. Woodi Washington and Billy Bowman are not expected to play. Look for Latrell McCutchin and Jeremiah Criddell to fill in for them in their spots. Here are candidates for the defensive players to watch as Oklahoma tries to bottle up Nebraska and head into Big 12 play undefeated:

Up Next: A Monster in the Middle ready to be unleashed.

Ducks Depth Chart Preview: Tight End room is littered with talent

The Oregon Ducks have a deep group of tight ends heading into 2021, but injuries have been a consistent issue for most of these guys.

The story of the tight end position at the University of Oregon over the past few years can be summed up in one word: injuries.

Cam McCormick has been hurt for the better part of the past three years. Patrick Herbert has only played one game in the past two seasons, ending all hope of a Herbert-to-Herbert connection before his brother Justin departed for the NFL. Spencer Webb didn’t see the field in 2020 because of injuries.

That trio is healthy at the moment, and alongside veteran DJ Johnson they give Oregon one of the deepest, most talented groups of tight ends the school has had in a very long time.

Heck, true freshman Moliki Matavao was one of the most sought-after tight ends in the country in the class of 2021, and he is an afterthought on Oregon’s depth chart this season – although he will be a big piece of their future at the spot, potentially alongside redshirt freshman Tyler Nanney and true freshmen Terrance Ferguson and Cooper Shultz, who were left off the depth chart for this year as they are unlikely to play much, if at all.

Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead is comfortable utilizing tight ends in his offensive schemes, and while fans did not get to see a ton of it last year because of injuries and the pandemic-shortened season, 2021’s depth should allow Moorhead, Mario Cristobal, and quarterback Anthony Brown to get very creative with this group of talented young men.

Without further ado, here is a look at the depth chart heading into the upcoming season:

Clemson’s Tony Elliott still learning about his ‘talented’ new position group

Tony Elliott is still getting used to his new role. It’s been eight months since Clemson’s offensive coordinator also took over the tutelage of the Tigers’ tight ends. Elliott previously tutored the running backs, but the move allowed Clemson coach …

Tony Elliott is still getting used to his new role.

It’s been eight months since Clemson’s offensive coordinator also took over the tutelage of the Tigers’ tight ends. Elliott previously tutored the running backs, but the move allowed Clemson coach Dabo Swinney to bring former Tiger running back C.J. Spiller back to fill out his coaching staff. 

Ellliott said it’s been a fun change for him since it’s gotten him closer to his roots. The Tigers’ veteran assistant played receiver at Clemson and coached the position in previous stops at Furman and South Carolina State before returning to his alma mater in 2011.

Learning the personalities of his new position group — and vice-versa — has taken some time.

“I think they’re still trying to figure me out as a person because my style is different than some other coaches they may have been around in the past,” Elliott said. “And I’m trying to figure them out because it’s a different temperament than being in that running back room. The tight ends, they’re a little bit more straightforward and about their business. So I’m learning how to really communicate most effectively with those guys.”

Elliott has been around a while, though, so he’s not oblivious to the talent he’s inherited. With Braden Galloway and Davis Allen back in the fold along with youngsters Jaelyn Lae, Sage Ennis and Jake Briningstool, it’s a group heavy on experience, depth and potential.

In fact, Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff are of the opinion it rivals any collection of tight ends in the program over the last decade.

“This is probably as talented a tight end group as I’ve had since I’ve been the coach here,” Swinney said.

It’s easy to see why Galloway and Allen could be a bigger part of the passing game based on the kind of promise they showed last season. The duo combined for 43 catches with six of those going for touchdowns. Allen, a bigger target at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, was third on the team with four touchdown catches.

The lone senior among the group, Galloway led the tight ends with 27 receptions, but Elliott said the 6-4, 240-pounder is still just scratching the surface when it comes to the type of player he can be at the position.

“The biggest thing is just to get him committed to being a complete player because he’s very, very capable,” Elliott said. “And I’m more referring to the blocking aspect. Just getting him committed to saying, hey, do what you’ve got to do. Get the job done. And I think he’s buying into that.”

Elliott said he’s seen growth out of Allen as a receiver when it comes to understanding coverages and the fundamentals of route running. And Ennis, a redshirt freshman who played in four games last season, impressed Elliott in the spring.

“I think we all knew Sage was a guy with a ton of potential, but you just hadn’t seen it because he was in a line,” Elliott said. “What you saw out of him this spring is he’s a tough young man. He’ll put his face in the fan. He can run. He can stretch the field.”

Lay (6-6, 270) and Briningstool (6-6, 220) are two physically imposing youngsters at the position. Like Galloway, Elliott said Lay needs to work on becoming a complete tight end, particularly when it comes to embracing his size and strength as a run blocker. Briningstool was an Under Armour All-American who hauled in 12 touchdown catches as a senior at Ravenwood (Tennessee) High last year.

“I think the sky is the limit for that young man,” Elliott said of Briningstool. “I think we knocked it out of the park with him.”

Personalities are one thing. But what Elliott has already come to realize is he has a lot of different options with a lot of different skill sets that he can utilize at his new position.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

2021 fall training camp roster: Vols’ tight ends

2021 fall training camp roster: Vols’ tight ends

Tennessee will kick off the 2021 football season on Sept. 2 against Bowling Green at Neyland Stadium under first-year head coach Josh Heupel.

Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. EDT. SEC Network will televise the matchup.

The 2021 season-opening game against Bowling Green begins the centennial celebration of Neyland Stadium, which opened in 1921.

Tennessee will play four regular-season nonconference contests against Bowling Green, Pittsburgh, Tennessee Tech and South Alabama. All games will be played at Neyland Stadium.

The Vols will play Southeastern Conference contests against Florida, Missouri, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

Below are tight ends listed on Tennessee’s roster ahead of fall training camp.

Poll: Who among the current group will be Jacksonville’s top TE?

Assuming there are no more changes at the position, who among the current group has the best odds to be TE1 in 2021?

Jacksonville was active in upgrading its roster following the collapse in 2020 that led to a 1-15 season, the worst in franchise history. Positions all across the field will have new starters heading into the 2021 season.

But with free agency and the NFL Draft now in the books, there’s one position group that felt largely ignored this offseason: the tight ends. After a one-year experiment with Tyler Eifert in 2020, the team let him walk this offseason. Considering the only players the Jaguars replaced him with were Chris Manhertz, a free-agent blocking tight end with just 12 catches in five years, and Luke Farrell, a fifth-round rookie who is also primarily a blocker, it’s fair to say they downgraded.

It’s always possible the team could look to bring in another player, such as Zach Ertz from Philadelphia, but as the days pass and the beginning of the season approaches, it’s becoming increasingly likely that the current group is the one they will roll with Week 1.

Assuming there are no changes, which of them will be the top option? Well, there’s one obvious answer: the only one of the bunch who has ever actually caught a ball with the Jaguars, James O’Shaughnessy.

The former Kansas City Chiefs fifth-round pick has been with the Jags since 2017, but his most productive year came in 2020 when he totaled 28 catches for 262 yards, both career-highs. That’s a pretty impressive output when you consider the revolving door the team had at quarterback at the time.

Manhertz and O’Shaughnessy should be the top-two options to begin the season, but the latter’s skills in the passing game will likely give him a leg up. Farrell is more of a developmental player and practice squad candidate, while Tyler Davis, a 2020 sixth-round pick who appeared in eight games last year but recorded no stats, is on the roster bubble.

There’s also the elephant in the room, quarterback-turned-tight end Tim Tebow, who the Jaguars signed earlier this offseason. Though he remains a bit of a wildcard, it seems ambitious to assume he will factor into this battle in a meaningful way. Coach Urban Meyer has been cryptic about his odds of making the final roster, but even if he does, it will likely be as a reserve/gadget player rather than as one who’s expected to contribute regularly.

Barring a splashy move before the end of the offseason, this seems to be the group the Jaguars will roll with (for better or worse). And if things remain as is, the starting job feels like O’Shaughnessy’s to lose.

But we want to hear from you, Jags fans. Who will be the top tight end on the depth chart this season? Let us know in the poll down below.

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Packers training camp 90-man roster preview: Tight ends

The Packers are deep at tight end entering training camp. We break down the players at the position on the team’s 90-man roster.

Few teams in the NFL are as deep at tight end as the Green Bay Packers.

Despite question marks with two of the team’s recent draft picks, the Packers will go into the 2021 season with an appealing blend of talents at an important position in Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme.

Our training camp roster preview rolls on at tight end:

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers