No player will be more missed, not only for his play on the field but also for his positive image to the Auburn family, than tight end Phillip Lutzenkirchen.
Lutzenkirchen finished his career at Auburn with 59 catches for 638 yards and 14 touchdowns, including the famous touchdown catch in the 2010 Iron Bowl to give Auburn the fourth quarter lead over the Crimson Tide.
This offseason Gus Malzahn and his staff will be working to find his replacement and developing more tight ends into Malzahn's offensive philosophy.
The Tigers did not sign any tight ends or H-backs in the 2013 signing class so they will rely on talent currently on the roster. That should not be a problem with most of the players being hand picked for Malzahn's offense.
Returning tight ends will be CJ Uzomah, Brandon Fulse and Ricky Parks. Malzahn's offense relies more on receivers than pure tight ends so the low number should not be a problem for the Tigers. Uzomah finished the 2012 season nicely replacing Lutzenkirchen after his late season injury. He finished the year with seven catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Uzomah is a great threat in the passing game, but is still learning the position after switching from receiver his freshman year and playing quarterback in high school. He could be more of a slot receiver than a true tight end. Fulse has all the intangibles to succeed as a tight end in the SEC. At 6-foot-4 and 249 pounds, he has plenty of size to play the position, but has had problems catching the ball in his first two years on the Plains. If that improves he could be a real threat this fall.
Ricky Parks was a highly decorated recruit coming out of high school, but like Uzomah he played quarterback. After being redshirted in 2012 trying to learn the position, he could surprise people in 2013 if he masters Malzahn's offense.
Another position that is important to this offense is the H-back. The H-back is basically a fullback, but does have similarities to the tight end position.
Malzahn's offense works best when it has a true H-back that can clear holes in the defensive line, and catch passes out of the backfield. Auburn had this in 2009 and 2010 with Eric Smith. In 2011 Lutzenkirchen handled this role, along with tight end, but was handicapped by having to handle both duties.
This time around the offense should have an excellent H-back in Jay Prosch. Prosch is a prototypical full-back and should fit in nicely with Malzahn's offense. With most of Auburn's running backs being undersized it will help greatly to have Prosch clearing the way.
He has also proven that he can be a threat with the football after receiving five catches in 2012. While this will not be his bread and butter it will be nice for the Tigers to not be forced to move a guy like Uzomah or Fulse into the backfield on pass plays.
The tight ends and H-backs could be a position group that surprises people by developing into a great weapon for the Tigers in 2013. These players have decent depth and fit the role Malzahn will be looking for in his spread offense.
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