Under Gus Malzahn, the tight end group was a position group that didn’t see the ball much. Head coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo seem to be changing that.
“We’re enjoying that we’re a big part of the offense right now,” tight end Luke Deal said. “That’s something that everybody is looking forward to for the season.”
In the 2020 season, the entire tight end position group had 17 catches for 107 yards. Deal only had two catches for 11 yards last season.
“The whole tight end group, we are excited to be in a physical down-hill offense. It fits us better,” Deal said. “It’s really cool for a hybrid-type player like a tight end.”
Deal mentioned that in Bobo’s pro-style offense everything is supposed to set up everything. A good downhill run game sets up an explosive passing game.
In South Carolina’s offense last season, Bobo had senior tight end Nick Muse rack up 30 catches for 425 yards and one touchdown. Muse averaged 14.2 yards a catch. Alongside Muse, redshirt freshman Keveon Mullins had three catches for 110 yards.
It has been almost seven years since Auburn had an impactful tight end in C.J. Uzomah. Uzomah has been with the Cincinnati Bengals since 2015.
A few years before that, Philip Lutzenkirchen set the record for most touchdowns by a tight end in Auburn history with 14. Along the way, he brought a national title to the Plains.
Harsin and Bobo look to bring the tight end back to Auburn.
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