Jedd Fisch brought the tight end back to Arizona football last season ... sort of.
Alex Lines and Bryce Wolma ranked sixth and 11th, respectively, in offensive snaps. But the two combined for only 28 pass targets, according to Pro Football Focus. The tight ends as a unit had 30 targets and 16 receptions.
If you hear about tight ends playing a prominent role in the Wildcat offense and feel like Charlie Brown running up to kick the ball — only to have Lucy pull it away — you’re not alone. UA fans have been promised a tight end revival for about a decade, and it hasn’t happened.
It’s also possible that we’re all looking at this the wrong way — that we’re being too narrow in how we define the impact a tight end can have.
“I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want more targets for the tight ends,” position coach Jordan Paopao said after Sunday’s practice. “We’re always going to make sure that we continue to work on our pass-catching ability; that’s always going to be a very big focal point.
“But ... playing the tight end position ... you may get 10 catches in a game and (another) game you may get two targets. Being able to control that ultimately is going to be out of our hands.
“We just want to make sure that we’re affecting the game. So if we’re asked to run block, we want to make sure that we take pride in our run blocking and it’s done in a dominant fashion. If it’s pass protection, we’re going to pass protect our (butts) off. And if it happens to be one of those great games where you do get 15 targets, 10 catches, then we’re going to make sure that we work the hell out of that too.”
The tight end room offers assets the Wildcats can utilize through the air, especially in the red zone, where Arizona struggled last season. But one of the underrated solutions to that problem is being able to run the ball effectively. Tight ends can help in that area.
Lines had one of the Wildcats’ lowest run-blocking grades last year, per PFF. Freshman Keyan Burnett is learning how to block in tight spaces after playing more of an outside receiver role in high school.
“Anytime that you have a freshman, you always wonder ... what is he going to do when the bright lights come on? To Key’s credit, he’s attacked it,” Paopao said. “He knows that it’s something that he’s got to get better at. But the willingness is what you want. He’s not shying away from contact.”
Burnett, a four-star recruit from Southern California, had his welcome-to-college moment in spring. During the first day of full contact, Burnett was tasked with blocking veteran safety Christian Young, one of Arizona’s most physical defenders.
“He just ran through my face, and then the running back ran up my back,” Burnett said. “I was just like, ‘Damn, this is a lot faster than I expected — a lot more contact than I expected.’ But I picked it up. I feel like I’m getting there now.
“I needed it for sure.”
Burnett has gotten bigger and stronger since spring. Burnett, who’s listed at 6 feet 6 inches, weighed in at 240 pounds at the start of training camp — 16 pounds heavier than spring. Yet he says he’s “way faster” than when he first got to campus and is moving “a lot better.”
That combination of size and speed — or as Paopao put it, “his ability to run and not lose speed while changing directions” — makes Burnett a potential mismatch for linebackers and safeties alike. Now it’s just a matter of taking advantage of that skill set.
Part of that responsibility falls on Jayden de Laura and the quarterbacks, who need to find the tight ends when they’re open — or even, at times, when they’re not. Burnett is unlikely to have anyone covering him who’s 6-6, 240. Lines is listed at 6-6, 230.
It’s also incumbent on the tight ends to use their big bodies to their advantage. Burnett is just starting to figure out what he’s capable of.
“It’s been a work in progress for me,” Burnett said. “In high school, I feel like it’s something I didn’t do well. Coming here, realizing my height and my weight, just seeing how strong I am – there’s not a lot of guys out here with this kind of build.”
Burnett has a huge upside; if everything clicks, he could become Arizona’s most prolific tight end since Rob Gronkowski.
But Burnett said he won’t complain if he doesn’t get the ball that much — as long as the offense is moving it.
“Winning is the goal here,” Burnett said.
Lines — who had 10 catches for 138 yards as a second-year freshman last season, his first at Arizona — echoed that sentiment.
“As long as we’re winning, I don’t care,” Lines said. “I’m not a big stats guy. I’m just gonna do whatever I can to help the team.”
Extra points
Paopao on Burnett’s progress since spring: “Just ownership and knowledge of the game. It’s been cool to be able to see him understand why he’s doing things. ... The big focus for the spring was what to do. Now we’re getting to focus on why we’re doing it, and that’s when you start to see that next step, that next evolution of becoming a better player and playing faster.”
While so much attention has been paid to Arizona’s newcomers, two veterans stood out during Sunday’s practice Defensive end Jalen Harris made several plays during 11-on-11 work, unofficially registering one sack and 1.5 additional tackles for losses. Receiver Jamarye Joiner made two excellent, contested catches – the first a slant vs. freshman cornerback Ephesians Prysock, the second a diving grab in the left corner of the end zone. The latter came on a lofted pass from freshman Noah Fifita against a pressure look from the defense. Joiner has been sharp despite missing spring ball (foot).
The third series of 7-on-7 ended with cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace intercepting de Laura in the left corner of the end zone. Roland-Wallace has had a strong camp, as has fellow corner Treydan Stukes.
Backup QB Jordan McCloud had a nice sequence to end 7-on-7, throwing a pair of TD passes, including one to Joiner.
De Laura and freshman receiver Tetairoa McMillan haven’t always been on the same wavelength during camp, but the two did connect for a sizable gain on an out route during the two-minute period.
De Laura found receiver Dorian Singer for a touchdown on the last play of 11-on-11.
Freshman defensive tackles Isaiah Johnson and Jacob Kongaika got some reps with the first team during 11-on-11.
Practice began and ended with a short scrimmage for freshmen and other younger players. Jonah Coleman has been the main tailback in those sessions. After an impressive spring, Coleman has been running behind several veterans at the position.
Tailback Jalen John (undisclosed) remained out.
The Wildcats are scheduled to be in shoulder pads again for Monday’s practice and in full pads Tuesday. Both sessions are scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
