Florida Gators TE Kyle Pitts Named to John Mackey Award Watch List

The Florida Gators have had one other John Mackey Award winner in its history.

Demetrius Harvey | Jul 17, 2020

One day after being named to one of the most prestigious receiving award watch lists in the country - the Fred Biletnikoff Award watch list -, Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts finds himself in more familiar territory on the John Mackey Award watch list - an award given to the nation's top tight end.

In its history, the Gators have had one other tight end earn the award, Aaron Hernandez (2009).

His major competition for the award has been, nearly universally, thought of as Penn State's Pat Freiermuth, who boasts an impressive resume himself hauling in 43 receptions for 503 yards and seven touchdowns last season. 36 tight ends in total can be found on the Mackey Award watch list, including former Florida and current Pittsburgh tight end Lucas Krull.

Pitts was one of the best tight ends in the country last season, leading all tight ends in the SEC in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. He finished the season ranked third among FBS right ends in receptions, seventh in receiving yards.

Last year, Pitts accumulated 54 receptions for 649 yards and five touchdowns during his sophomore season with the program. He has clearly established himself as one of the nation's top tight ends and has been compared to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller by respected NFL Draft Analyst, Daniel Jeremiah in the past.

Entering - what will potentially be - his final season with the Gators, Pitts looks to build on his quickly-growing resume by establishing himself as a complete tight end. It will come at no surprise if Pitts does win the Mackey Award, that is if there is a football season this year, or it is played reasonably on time prior to the standard NFL Draft preparations.

Below, you can find the entire watch list for the 2020 Mackey Award, broken into two graphics from http://johnmackeyaward.com/.

Published Jul 17, 2020

DEMETRIUS HARVEY

Demetrius Harvey is a beat writer covering the Florida Gators, including football, basketball and recruiting. He currently serves as the deputy editor of Sports Illustrated - AllGators. Demetrius also covers the Jacksonville Jaguars for Vox Media. Follow Demetrius on Twitter at @Demetrius82.