Position Group Breakdowns: Tight Ends

[Coach Andy Mac]

DENTON – The Mean Green tight ends group figures to again be a big part of the offense in 2020. Under tight ends coach Adrian Mayes, fans will have the opportunity to see the continued development at the position when the season gets underway. We take a look at the tight ends room in this edition of position group breakdowns.
 
"I am extremely excited about this youthful and talented group," Mayes said. "Jason Pirtle saw a large amount of time last season and really started to develop into the position midway through the season. I'm excited about his progress this offseason in the film room and excited for the product he will put out next fall. Guys like Kyleb Howell and Cole McCrary were guys that provided depth last season and have game experience, which is so valuable. The two upperclassmen have done a great job instilling what we preach in our program to the younger guys in the room and it has gone well.
 
"I am looking forward to the challenge of getting the youth in the room up to speed and ready to play at a high level. Guys like Asher Alberding, Khatib Lyles, Christian Lee, Jake Roberts (who is coming in the fall) and Edward Bautista all are extremely athletic. How fast I can get these guys developed will be key for this group.
 
"This unit is extremely competitive, hungry and excited to get back into the swing of things. They understand that there's competition within the room and I think they rise to the challenge every time they're number is called."
 
Outgoing:
The lone tight end on the roster to graduate from the 2019 is Kelvin Smith, who was a key fixture over the past four years at the position. In addition to Smith's departure, freshman Adam Duncan decided to transfer.
 
Smith was banged up for the duration of his final season in Denton, and finished with just 14 catches for 93 yards last year in 11 appearances (seven starts).
 
Throughout his career with the Mean Green, Smith was a versatile player at the position, providing a ton of unsung help as a blocker, but also finished his career with 77 catches for 705 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 15.0 yards per reception in 47 appearances (27 starts).
 
Duncan did not appear in any games for the Mean Green after walking on ahead of the 2019 season.
 
New Faces:
There are two new faces with the program at tight end, including one who arrived on campus in January and another that will join the program in the fall.
 
#84 Christian Lee – freshman –Friendswood, Texas (Friendswood HS)
Lee was an early enrollee, and was rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. He was ranked as the No. 36 tight end in the country at the H position by ESPN and was No. 75 on Vype Houston's Hot 100 in the 2020 class. Lee was a first team all-district selection in 2019 after earning second team honors as a junior in 2018. As a senior last year at Friendswood High School, Lee caught 51 passes for 723 yards and five touchdowns, and scored twice more on the ground. As a junior, he made 37 catches and five scores. A stellar athlete that measures at 6'3" and 210 pounds, Lee played quarterback as a sophomore and also lettered in track and field.
 
Jake Roberts – freshman – Norman, Oklahoma (Norman North HS)
Roberts will join the Mean Green in the fall, and was also a three-star prospect, according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. He was ranked as the No. 20 player in the state of Oklahoma by 247Sports and the No. 36 tight end in the country at the Y position by ESPN. Roberts was a two-time district Offensive Player of the Year, was first team all-conference and all-district as a senior in 2019 and was named Norman North High School's Most Outstanding Student-Athlete. In 2019, Roberts caught 18 passes for 197 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Roberts, who measures at 6'4" and 235 pounds, also excels in the classroom as evidenced by being a member of the National Honor Society.
 
"I feel like we have a great opportunity ahead of us this year and I can't wait to be a part of this team. Things are crazy right now, but I think that presents a perfect opportunity to better ourselves and gain an advantage with the work we put in during all of this. Coach Mayes has been great. I feel like I've learned a ton from him already [through the recruiting process].All the guys in the tight ends room seem really close and there are some great leaders. They have been really helpful to me throughout this process and I can't wait to get on campus and be a part of it."

Read more:  https://meangreensports.com/news/2020/4/20/football-position-group-breakdowns-tight-ends.aspx

[jtm0097]

Interesting, Khatib Lyles was moved to Tight End. He is a big body frame with speed. I could see him being a good deep threat.

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, jtm0097 said:

Interesting, Khatib Lyles was moved to Tight End. He is a big body frame with speed. I could see him being a good deep threat.

I was surprised to see that.  He was listed at 6'2" and 220 lbs. on the roster.  Wonder if he has put on some weight?

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Lee and Roberts involved in a 2 TE set with Pirtle and maybe Howell

[97and03]

13 hours ago, jtm0097 said:

Interesting, Khatib Lyles was moved to Tight End. He is a big body frame with speed. I could see him being a good deep threat.

Not sure how I feel about that. Only 2 WRs signed last year. 
I hope they really plan to use the TE a ton bc with him moving positions that means 5 TEs signed over two years (including the JUCO who bailed) for an underutilized position. 

[Coach Andy Mac]

This has been a position comprised mostly of walkons.

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

5 hours ago, 97and03 said:

Not sure how I feel about that. Only 2 WRs signed last year. 
I hope they really plan to use the TE a ton bc with him moving positions that means 5 TEs signed over two years (including the JUCO who bailed) for an underutilized position. 

I mean there are plenty of WRs on this team. Damon Ward and Kealon Jackson along with Shorter, Darden, Simpson, Ogumakin etc

[Mean Green 93-98]

18 hours ago, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Lee and Roberts involved in a 2 TE set with Pirtle and maybe Howell

I would hope we'd be able to redshirt at least one of them this year.  I imagine that depends on Alberding being ready to step into a starting role.

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

1 hour ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

I would hope we'd be able to redshirt at least one of them this year.  I imagine that depends on Alberding being ready to step into a starting role.

True but I have a feeling that we just rely on young talent kind of like we did last year

[BillySee58]

On 4/21/2020 at 3:55 AM, 97and03 said:

Not sure how I feel about that. Only 2 WRs signed last year. 
I hope they really plan to use the TE a ton bc with him moving positions that means 5 TEs signed over two years (including the JUCO who bailed) for an underutilized position. 

Last year our starting Y was Michael Lawrence, with Kelvin Smith supposed to be starting there and playing more there before the injuries hit. That Y spot can be a second inside receiver or a tight end, so with both of those guys gone I think this is essentially moving Lyles to that Y spot, moreso than moving him from receiver to tight end. 

[MGNation92]

44 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

Last year our starting Y was Michael Lawrence, with Kelvin Smith supposed to be starting there and playing more there before the injuries hit. That Y spot can be a second inside receiver or a tight end, so with both of those guys gone I think this is essentially moving Lyles to that Y spot, moreso than moving him from receiver to tight end. 

Right and in the air raid, the Y is more of a big bodied inside receiver than a tight end.

Think Jace Amaro as a prime example from Tech a few years back. Sure he was a tight end by name, but never put his hand in the ground from what I remember. Lyles could be helpful there.

[GrayEagle]

I don't know of any young talent that played tight end last year.  Most of the tight end play was by Kelvin Smith (fourth year) and Jason Pertile (third year).  Cole McCrary played in one game and caught one pass.  Kyleb Howell was listed as a fullback but may have played a down or two as a tight end.  He was mostly on special teams.  I believe that he is the one that was moved to tight end.

I tend to believe that Asher Alberding will see the most minutes at tight end.  Jason Pertile will be the #1 backup or could be the starter if Alberding isn't ready.  I would like to see both Lee and Roberts gain experience this coming year rather than redshirting.  

[97and03]

7 hours ago, BillySee58 said:

Last year our starting Y was Michael Lawrence, with Kelvin Smith supposed to be starting there and playing more there before the injuries hit. That Y spot can be a second inside receiver or a tight end, so with both of those guys gone I think this is essentially moving Lyles to that Y spot, moreso than moving him from receiver to tight end. 

I get what you are saying but he is literally in a different position group.  And to your point it looks like he bulked up for blocking. I trust Mayes knows what he is doing so I think it will work out. Misty was somewhat lamenting that the surprise gem WR added to that signing class was moved to TE where we under utilized Kelvin. I guess I was just surprised. Again I hope this signals that the TE will be a major weapon going forward. 

[BillySee58]

24 minutes ago, 97and03 said:

I get what you are saying but he is literally in a different position group.  And to your point it looks like he bulked up for blocking. I trust Mayes knows what he is doing so I think it will work out. Misty was somewhat lamenting that the surprise gem WR added to that signing class was moved to TE where we under utilized Kelvin. I guess I was just surprised. Again I hope this signals that the TE will be a major weapon going forward. 

I don’t know that he has bulked up for blocking. He has been listed at 6’2” 220 since the season. I highly doubt we see him in-line blocking. I think any bulking up would probably be natural growth more than forced. 

I think it is a shift towards using tight ends more. This, plus signing two tight ends last class and offering more in 2021. It tells me that they want to move towards having a bigger pass catcher at the Y rather than having two little slot receivers on the field together at the A and Y. That’s the look I expect going forward. Two outside receivers at the X and Z, one traditional slot receiver at the A, one big receiving threat/pass-catching tight end type at the Y, and a running back.

I know your concern is depth at receiver, particularly long-term. But if they have decided to shift more towards having these tight-end/bigger bodies at the Y, now you only have three “wide receivers” spots so less players needed to fill out a 2 and 3-deep there. 

[97and03]

10 hours ago, BillySee58 said:

I don’t know that he has bulked up for blocking. He has been listed at 6’2” 220 since the season. I highly doubt we see him in-line blocking. I think any bulking up would probably be natural growth more than forced. 

I think it is a shift towards using tight ends more. This, plus signing two tight ends last class and offering more in 2021. It tells me that they want to move towards having a bigger pass catcher at the Y rather than having two little slot receivers on the field together at the A and Y. That’s the look I expect going forward. Two outside receivers at the X and Z, one traditional slot receiver at the A, one big receiving threat/pass-catching tight end type at the Y, and a running back.

I know your concern is depth at receiver, particularly long-term. But if they have decided to shift more towards having these tight-end/bigger bodies at the Y, now you only have three “wide receivers” spots so less players needed to fill out a 2 and 3-deep there. 

Good explanation. I hope it plays out just like that. I think it would be a positive .