Brenden Bates Exhibiting Kentucky's Ideal Dynamic Tight End

The senior has benefited greatly from Rich Scangarello's tight end-friendly offensive schemes

The tight end position is the biggest embodiment of that classic "hard-nosed" style of football that has managed to stick around in some facet as long as the game has been around. 

Mark Stoops is one of those head coaches that continues to embrace that way of playing. You hear it every time he talks, and you see it translated in how his players play when they wear that Kentucky logo on their jersey. 

Put the two together and one might think that the Wildcats would churn out top-notch tight ends like it's nobodies business. That hasn't always been the case, but along with help from new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, UK currently possesses a deep, talented TE room filled with next-level potential. 

Three tight ends have caught passes from quarterback Will Levis through four games this season: 

• Brenden Bates: 6 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD 
• Jordan Dingle: 5 receptions, 61 yards
• Keaton Upshaw: 4 receptions, 50 yards 

Bates, the senior elder statesman of the room, has witnessed the tight end position at Kentucky turn into something so much bigger than throwing meaty blocks and catching safety blanket checkdowns. It's become a combination of protecting your quarterback if need be, while also being a reliable option for him down the field, not just as a last resort:

"A lot goes with the offense and what Scangarello has schemed up, but it's really good finally being able to showcase what I can do on the other side of things instead of just blocking," Bates said. 

Once the Cincinnati native made the move to Kentucky, he beefed up in order to be that big-blocker that has been a staple in Lexington during Stoops' tenure. He knew he had more to offer as a receiver, but understood the role that came with his position. 

Luckily, Scangarello knew that there was more to tap into. 

"We want to show that we're dynamic. Scang(arello) is entering really good plays and schemes to where we can help the O-line in some pass plays...little chips or whatever they have in the game plan," Bates said. "We've got some really good schemes in any form, pass, run, whatever we need to do." 

The tight end hype was kickstarted by Scangarello all the way back at UK Football Media Day. The former San Fransisco 49ers QB coach had this to say about the TE room back on Aug. 3:

“We have a very deep tight end room. … I don’t want to point anyone out yet and I don’t want to overhype anything, but I am very, very excited about that tight end room. I mean, it’s hard to imagine a better one. You don’t have the luxury of carrying six tight ends in the NFL, and I really believe that there are three or four or five in that room that are going to play on Sundays.”

Through four games, Bates has already accrued as many receiving yards as he did a year ago on five less catches. While that might not seem like a big deal, it's important to compare the 2021 roster to this season's. 

It was all Wan'Dale Robinson a year ago, with a bit of Josh Ali in the mix. After that, there were no truly-reliable WR's getting open on a consistent basis. The honors fell to the tight ends, mostly Izayah Cummings and Justin Rigg. Bates got his due, making six starts last season, but the Levis-Robinson connection was all that drove UK in the passing game. 

This season, there is a more talented WR room from top to bottom, yet Bates and his TE's are making their presence felt in a much bigger way. 11 different players have caught two or more passes through four games. After the top trio of Tayvion Robinson, Dane Key and Barion Brown, the next three players in line with the most receptions are the aforementioned TE's. 

For Bates, he's found it easy to be a reliable option for Levis down the field by developing trust as a pass-catcher with the QB over the course of fall camp and the beginning of the season. 

"The number one thing is building more trust with him, that's the biggest thing. In practice, we obviously have a good connection, but in a game it's different, it's live, I think the biggest trust is definitely built with him." 

Now, it's all about finding that perfect blend in practice and in-game for Bates and the other TE's. After all, you didn't think Vince Marrow was gonna let them get too focused on pass-catching, did you?

"There's a lot of talent in the room. We're all very dynamic players, we can catch and block," Bates said. "Marrow and CJ (Conrad) pride the tight ends in blocking, that's what we work on every day in individuals, working on our blocking, working on our physicality. We don't want to be just a pass-catching tight end or a blocking tight end." 

The evolution of Kentucky's tight end-usage has been glaring in all the best ways possible. Scangarello has been on the group from the jump, and seems to be getting just as much production as he expected when he first arrived in Lexington.

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