College football’s conference championship weekend boasts matchups that include six top-10 scoring defenses, four top-10 scoring offenses and two of the top three Heisman Trophy favorites. There’s plenty of star power, but one position that may get overlooked in deciding conference titles? Tight end.
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If nothing else, 2023 has continued the trend that says tight ends are no longer glorified offensive tackles. And while household names like Brock Bowers (Georgia) and Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas) have carried the torch for this position all year and will play starring roles this weekend, there are several others who have flown under the radar as valuable weapons who could be X-factors this weekend. Thanks to some creative coaching, they have not only put their stamp on the position, but they have also played key roles for their teams in pursuit of conference titles.
Everyone knows what Bowers and Sanders can do. Here, let’s look at four under-the-radar tight ends and the impact they will have as conference championships are decided.
Jack Westover, Washington: The decoy
Pac-12 championship vs. Oregon (8 p.m. ET Friday)
The Huskies’ deep wide receiving corps has gotten all the attention, but Westover, a sixth-year former walk-on from nearby Bellevue High School, has caught 34 passes for 328 yards. The 6-foot-3, 243-pound Westover is generating some love from NFL scouts and draft analysts as a late-round selection. He had three touchdowns against Michigan State in September and has also been a valuable weapon lately, with 13 of his catches coming in the past three games — many on delay routes when opposing secondaries are caught up chasing receivers Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and, when healthy, Jalen McMillan.
How Westover will be a factor against Oregon
Nobody runs the tight end delay better than Westover. His timing is impeccable and comes at the most inopportune times for defenses, moving the sticks when it’s needed most — 61.8 percent of his catches have resulted in a first down or touchdown. One of the ways in which offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb gets defenses to forget about Westover is by using a good amount of pre-snap motion.
In the clip below against Boise State, Westover moves from one side to the next and runs a quick wheel route in the end zone before the defense can even get aligned.
And in crunch time, it’s often Westover’s number that gets called. In a tie game at USC late in the third quarter, Penix connects with Westover on a tight end delay, setting up a go-ahead score.
And against Utah the following week, with the Huskies down 28-27, Penix again goes to Westover for a critical fourth-and-2 conversion:
RJ Maryland, SMU: The chameleon
AAC championship at Tulane (4 p.m. ET Saturday)
Maryland, the son of former Miami and Dallas Cowboys star Russell Maryland, spent much of last offseason shaping up his 6-4 frame by adding 20 pounds of muscle, and it’s showing. Maryland leads the 10-2 Mustangs with 462 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches. Now at a solid 233 pounds, the Southlake Carroll (Texas) alum is already working his way up the SMU record book and will be especially valuable as SMU deals with the loss of injured QB Preston Stone.
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His 13 career touchdowns are two behind former SMU tight end Kylen Granson, and his 57 career receptions are good for fourth all-time among tight ends there. And it appears the extra swell hasn’t affected his speed. Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee said he clocked him at 21.5 miles per hour when Maryland outran a Tulsa for a 62-yard touchdown this season and thinks he has ball skills as good as former SMU stars Granson and Grant Calcaterra — draft picks in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
“If we wanted to he could lead the country in catches, yards and touchdowns at tight end,” Lashlee said. “He’s that good.”
How Maryland will be a factor against Tulane
It helps that offensive coordinators Casey Woods and Jonathan Brewer do their best to blend Maryland into the backfield pre-snap. According to TruMedia, Maryland has aligned in the backfield on 79 total snaps this season, more than any other tight end in the Group of 5. And of Maryland’s 29 catches, nearly half have come from backfield alignments. Because he starts in the backfield, this causes defenses to often forget about him on vertical routes.
In the clip below, Maryland gets matched up with an outside linebacker and runs a seam route for a 24-yard touchdown.
TCU played a single-high safety look, assuming Maryland would stay in the backfield, only for Stone to hit him again on a seam route.
And against Tulsa, Maryland runs a wheel concept from the backfield. The Golden Hurricane get caught in a boundary blitz, forgetting about Maryland and allowing him to make the 62-yard scamper into the end zone.
Colston Loveland, Michigan: The improviser
Big Ten championship vs. Iowa (8 p.m. ET, Saturday)
Loveland is rarely aligned as an inline tight end. In fact, on nearly half of his snaps (47 percent), he’s aligned as either a wideout or in slot. And the reasoning is simple: He plays more like a receiver than a tight end.
The 6-5, 245-pound Loveland started his high school career in Idaho as a receiver and can separate better than any receiver on Michigan’s roster. And his ability to find vertical space and use his big frame creates an easy target for quarterback J.J. McCarthy when he escapes the pocket. Loveland has 37 catches for 550 yards and four touchdowns, including a season-high five receptions for 88 yards last week against Ohio State.
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It’s not only McCarthy who trusts him. It seems Sherrone Moore and the offensive staff at Michigan do as well, giving him the responsibility of making one of the most important plays of the game with a toss pass from running back Donovan Edwards early in the fourth quarter to set up a crucial field goal.
How Loveland will be a factor against Iowa
Iowa’s defense is loaded, but the Hawkeyes will have their hands full with Loveland, who can get on top of safeties in a hurry. Iowa plays a majority of Cover 4, which means Loveland will work his vertical routes against a high safety. All you need to know about Loveland’s ability to stretch the field vertically presented itself in one play against Rutgers, when he nearly broke the ankles of safety Shaquan Loyal and made a highlight-reel catch in front of the high safety.
Perhaps Loveland’s biggest asset is his ability to be in sync with McCarthy when plays are extended. Loveland has the moxie to find open space and generate big plays when the pocket breaks down. In the clip below against Indiana, Loveland runs a called speed out but converts to a vertical once he sees McCarthy on the run, resulting in a touchdown.
Jaheim Bell, Florida State: The outlet
ACC championship vs. Louisville (8 p.m. ET Saturday)
Coming into the season, Bell was mentioned in the same breath as Bowers and Sanders, but the 6-3, 239-pound transfer from South Carolina was held catch-less early in the year against Southern Miss and Virginia Tech. He’s clearly hit his stride and ranks 11th among tight ends with 39 catches for 503 yards and two touchdowns.
A former prep running back, Bell has shown the versatility in playing multiple positions — inline tight end, slot, wide receiver and in the backfield. He runs like a running back but is physical enough for defensive backs to think twice before sizing him up. That’s probably why Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins choose to utilize Bell on immediate quick screens and boot throws on the perimeter, getting the ball out in a hurry and getting him matched up on safeties.
When star receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson are blanketed, Bell has been a coveted third option. Though star quarterback Jordan Travis is out, new starter Tate Rodemaker was Bell’s high school teammate. His reliability will be needed more than ever.
How Bell will be a factor against Louisville
The short passing game may be the perfect antidote for what the Seminoles need with Rodemaker. The familiarity he has with Bell should make a huge difference this week. Bell is one of the only tight ends in the country with the versatility to catch quick screens on the perimeter and puncture coverage. Take the clip below against Syracuse, where it takes several defenders to wrestle him to the ground on a seven-yard gain.
Then later in the season against Duke, Norvell and his staff call Bell’s number two times in a row in the same sequence — one on a speed sweep into the boundary, a concept that tight ends rarely get the opportunity to run.
And the next play, Norvell gives it to him again in the form of a flare pass — a tight end’s dream — to convert for the first down to start the fourth quarter.
Bell can also be a red zone target for the Noles in the boot game. His hands and size provide for an easy pitch and catch on the perimeter, where defensive backs struggle to bring him to the turf. In the clip below, he shows his athleticism against Boston College in the open field on a boot concept.
The impact of Bowers and Sanders is clear, but when games are on the line and big plays are needed this weekend, don’t be surprised if this group of tight ends comes through too.
(Top photos: Melina Myers / USA Today; Gregory Shamus and Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
