In Position: Being Physical, For an All-Around approach

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Tight Ends

Who's Back: Peter Montini, Clay Nanke, Jordan Williams

Who's New: Vince Brown II, Luke Garrelts, Dallin Holker, Mason Muaau

Key Number: The position accounted for 22 receptions for 236 yards and one touchdown. The leader of the group was Tanner Arkin, who had 15 catches for 131 yards, but Williams started to gain more traction at the position late in the season, snaring three balls for 36 yards, one being a 21-yard touchdown.

What Happened: The position room has dramatically changed by adding experience via the transfer portal with Holker and Brown, though Brown was a big wide receiver at his junior college. In the Air Raid, the tight end can be a valuable and productive piece, but it never transpired in 2022.

From the Top: Tight ends coach James Finley has virtually a brand new room to work with, and they're expected to be productive in the passing game. He's confident they will be, but he wants a well-rounded room.

They went into the recruiting cycle looking for size and experience and found it. The players they added also bring athleticism. Finley says the goal is to own the middle of the field, and that's not all about getting open in the seam.

"It's blocking. We want to get better at blocking and using our technique," he said. "Every day pre-practice, we work some blocking circuit we will work for practice. I think we can take our game to another level in blocking. It's not really the physicality of it, because our tight ends will get physical, but it's using the proper technique."

It's an area where they feel they can all improve, specifically in the run game, but it will also help in the passing game.

To get to where they want to be, a concerted effort is being made every day to work on a specific aspect of the skill, the focus being on what is in the practice script.

"We're making a big emphasis on it in the meeting room. Pre-practice, we work on whatever the run game is for the day, we do that pre-practice," Finley said. "We don't go full speed, but we work on the technique of it and what is the structure of the defense."

From the Room: The players understand the assignment, too. They hear it every day, and while they all want to catch their share of passes, they want to move the chains most of all.

Brown said his biggest transition came from moving positions, but he's caught on well. He's also added weight in an effort to help take on a defensive lineman. Arriving in time for spring camp was beneficial in both regards.

"I think the only transition was a change from receiver to tight end," he said. "I put on a lot of weight to help myself out for when I have to block those big D linemen. That's been the hardest transition for me."

Which is why he sounds just like his position coach when it comes to the primary focus of fall camp. To make the full impact they want to as a room, they have to be able to aid the offense in every way possible.

The assertion is they will make highlight reels with their receiving skills, but they want their blocking to make as big of an impact in the overall concept of the offense.

"I think the biggest thing we have to work on as a group is blocking because all-around, we're all great receivers," Brown said. "The main pull with us is good technique when we're blocking, move to the second-level guys and work with the offensive line on blocking.

"First, we watch a lot of film and break the film down, see what looks they give us in certain formations. After that we study, keep studying, then come practice, we go over those looks in team and seven-on-seven."

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