Tulsa Tight End Update
8/20/2019 5:37:00 PM | Football
A LOOK AT THE TIGHT ENDS …
TULSA, Okla. –– Coming into the 2019 season there were questions surrounding the tight end position as to who would emerge to lead the group.
The answer –– "we're tight end by committee, we can rely on a multitude of guys" –– said Tulsa tight ends coach Jordan Najvar.
With the graduation loss of the top two tight ends –– Chris Minter and Cole Neph –– who saw most all of the snaps the last two years, Tulsa came into spring and now preseason with zero players who had played an offensive snap in the Hurricane system.
But, the cupboard is not bare.
"I feel good with the progress that we've made at tight end with a lot of new faces. Those guys have stepped up and are doing a nice job," said Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery.
Red-shirt freshman James Palmer is the only player to have any game experience in a Tulsa uniform, having played in four games last year on special teams. Highly-regarded junior college transfer Denzel Carter joined the roster in the summer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and has not disappointed.
In addition, Tulsa also has two sophomores and a true freshman adding quality depth to the position. Jordan Rodriguez is a junior college transfer who didn't play football until coming to Tulsa last fall after a season of playing Division II college basketball. Walk-on Abe Anderson and rookie Ethan Hall, from Bixby High School, have been solid during the preseason,
"I'm pleased with the progress we've made," said Najvar. "In this group there's not one of those guys who have played an offensive snap for us. We have all the potential from top to bottom, the talent is there, but it's about executing and getting in rythym. I'm pleased with how far they've come."
"We're doing some things that they've never done before and they've come light years from where we started on day one," added Najvar. "All five guys can play. It's the deepest group that we've had, but we have to come out and execute. I'm very excited with the future of this group."
Players Mentioned
Tight End
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