2024 Louisville Football Position Breakdown: Tight End

Tight end was a weak spot for the Cardinals last season, but the position is in line to take a much needed step forward in 2024.

Louisville tight end Jamari Johnson / University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As we inch closer to the start of the 2024 college football season, Louisville Report will break down each individual position on the Cardinals' roster. Next in our positional breakdown series, we take at look at the tight ends.

Position Roster Movement:

• Returning (3): Jamari Johnson, Nate Kurisky, Duane Martin
• Departing (1): Joey Gatewood
• Incoming (4): Izayah Cummings, Dylan Mesman, Mark Redman, Jaleel Skinner

Projected Depth Chart:

1. Mark Redman (6-5, 255, R-Sr.)
2. Jaleel Skinner (6-5, 225, So.)
3. Jamari Johnson (6-5, 265, R-Fr.)
4. Nate Kurisky (6-3, 240, R-So.)
5. Izayah Cummings (6-4, 235, R-Sr.)
6. Duane Martin (6-2, 260, Sr.)
7. Dylan Mesman (6-5, 230, Fr.)

Breakdown:

When Jeff Brohm took over the Louisville football program ahead of the 2023 season, he inherited a tight end room that wasn't very experienced when it came to catching the football. Previous head coach Scott Satterfield more so used his tight ends as blockers in his run-heavy scheme, and with the exception of Marshon Ford, almost never utilized the position when it came to the passing game.

This is exactly the opposite of how Brohm uses his tight ends. They've been an underrated focal point in his offenses at Western Kentucky and Purdue, with guys like Tyler Higbee, Brycen Hopkins and Payne Durham all getting drafted because of their pass catching prowess.

As you can imagine, Louisville wound up not getting a lot of production in the passing game from the tight end spot. In fact, the position as a whole logged just 35 receptions for 377 yards and five touchdowns. For reference, Payne Durham alone in 2022 - Brohm's last season at Purdue - caught 56 passes for 560 yards and eight scores.

Tight end was the unquestioned weak spot on the offense, perhaps even the entire team, last season. Along with quarterback Jack Plummer being up-and-down and the wide receivers being inconsistent, not having a reliable option in the middle of the field played a role in why the passing offense was a little underwhelming at times last season.

But for 2024, the tight end position is in line to take a massive step forward.

Not long after the season, Brohm and Co. were decisive in attacking the transfer portal, and tight end was one of the positions they focused on the most. By the time spring rolled around, they landed three tight ends through the portal - including one who is shaping up to be their TE1 when the season rolls around.

While San Diego State transfer Mark Redman didn't make it to campus in time to participate in spring ball, his reputation precedes itself, as he's been one of the best tight ends in the Mountain West for the last two seasons. Last year, he caught 37 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Aztecs in all three categories.

At 6-5/255, Redman is already a good mismatch against most inside linebackers and safeties. Add in the fact that he's also a very good route runner, has reliable hands (only one drop on 57 targets) and is a good pass blocker, he's the odds-on favorite to be the starter. Of course, he'll have to adjust to the power conference level when fall camp rolls around, but that shouldn't be an issue.

While Redman is the most likely going to be the starting tight end, there are still two other tight ends on the roster - Jaleel Skinner and Jamari Johnson - who have a very good chance at carving out a sizable role on the offense this up coming season.

Skinner, a former top-150 prospect in the 2022 cycle, spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Miami. He showed early promise as a true freshman, hauling in nine receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown in nine games. However, this past season, he played just 25 offensive snaps across two games and logging only a nine-yard catch.

While the former Cane was up-and-down at times during spring ball, he still made plenty of plays during the open practices. Not only is he probably the most athletic tight end on the roster, he's one of the more versatile. There were a handful of times where instead being lined up as an inline blocker or in the slot, Skinner was split outside the numbers as a wideout. Something to monitor heading into fall camp.

Since making the jump to college, Johnson hasn't seen a ton of in-game reps. He redshirted his first season and saw no game day action, and played just 67 snaps last season while logging no stats. That being said, the uber-talented former top-200 prospect seems to be in line to take on a bigger role this upcoming season.

Watching Johnson this past spring compared to last fall camp, it's clear that he is much more comfortable after starting his high school career at quarterback. For starters, he's every bit of his 6-5/265 frame. Additionally, he's become much more physical at the line of scrimmage, and his ball tracking skills have really come a long way. He's got to continue becoming more consistent when it comes to actually catching the ball, as he can make the flashy plays but sometimes struggle with the more fundamental ones, but he is teeming with potential.

While the aforementioned three will likely be the main tight end rotation for Louisville, someone to watch out for in 2024 is Nate Kurisky. While he had just 18 catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns last season, in the final four games, he had 11 catches for 83 yards and a score. He's been commended by the staff for being an extremely cerebral player, seemed to get much more comfortable as a pass catcher as the 2023 season went on, and did have a few standout plays in the spring.

Someone with a bit of a to-be-determined role is Kentucky transfer Izayah Cummings. He wasn't super productive during his four seasons as a Wildcat, and logged just four catches for 98 yards last season. That being said, some of that was being buried on the depth chart of a good tight end room at UK. He had a great first year as a tight end in 2021, and all of his production last season came in the final two games. He took reps both as a tight end and wide receiver in spring ball, and being a local product, he'll certainly be motivated to try and make an impact any way he can.

Martin might be down on depth chart as a pass catcher, but make no mistake, he'll have a role on this team. When Brohm came aboard, he kept Martin as blocking tight end, and he now essentially serves as their go-to fullback. While Brohm offenses are mainly run out of the pistol and shotgun, there are some I-formations and offset-I's sprinkled in there. Martin will serve as the lead blocker in these instances, as evidenced by the facts that he had 104 run blocking snaps last season.

Being the only true freshman in a room with plenty of other options in front, Mesman is a prime candidate to take a redshirt this upcoming season. However, the four-star has a very high ceiling, as he excels both as a pass catcher and a blocker. With three tight ends in line to graduate after this upcoming season, he should be ready to contribute in 2025.

Overall, there's no question that Louisville's tight end room is in a much better spot than it was this time last season. Not only did the Cardinals bring in some transfers who are more suited for a pass-heavy offense, the returners seem to be in position to take a big step forward in 2024. Jeff Brohm's offenses have always had their most success when they have a go-to tight end in the passing game, and this season, they have more viable options at tight end than they did in 2023.

Other Position Breakdowns:

• Quarterback
• Running Back
• Wide Receiver
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line (coming soon)
• Linebacker (coming soon)
• Cornerback (coming soon)
• Safety (coming soon)
• Special Teams (coming soon)

(Photo of Jamari Johnson via University of Louisville Athletics)

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