Will A True Starting Tight End Emerge For The Miami Hurricanes?
Miami will look to find more health and consistently from their tight end room this season.
While they did get involved as blockers, Miami's tight ends combined for just 18 receptions for 154 yards and 1 touchdown. I expect a bounce back season. Last year was a strange one with tight end injuries and quarterback inconsistencies.
As we've done this week for the wide receivers and quarterbacks, let's break down Miami's five scholarship tight ends into tiers.
Tier 1:
EMPTY until further notice. Until a clear starter emerges, this unit has too much to prove for me to consider anyone in the top tier. We will have a better idea once we get into the dog days of spring practices. Let the competition begin.
Tier 2: Contenders to start
I expect a healthy competition and shared first team reps this spring between Cam McCormick, Elijah Arroyo and Riley Williams.
McCormick is back for his record-setting ninth collegiate season. He started most of Miami’s games last year, but with more competition from his younger teammates, he might be used on a more situational basis this year. He can definitely provide leadership on and off the field. While McCormick is a very good blocker, Arroyo and Williams are more well-rounded and can add more to the passing game.
I believe Arroyo’s combination of skills and experience make him the best overall tight end on the team when healthy. Up to this point, he's had terrible injury luck, missing the majority of the past two seasons.
Williams is the one in this group with the highest ceiling. He's 6-6, blocks well, and can definitely be a top receiving threat after more seasoning. Arroyo's injuries forced Williams to play more than he probably should have last year as a true freshman, but the experience he earned will be valuable moving forward.
Tier 3: Possible rotational players
I will keep true freshman Elijah Lofton in this tier for now. However, he's earning impressive feedback in offseason workouts and could carve out more playing time this season than expected. This is one we might have to re-evaluate after the pads come on. Lofton arrives at The U with physical maturity and rare versatility. He can line up at fullback or tailback in addition to tight end. He blocks exceptionally well at this stage.
The future could also be very bright for redshirt freshman Jackson Carver. Like Williams, he's a skyscraper at 6-6. He was an accomplished multi-sport athlete in his youth, excellent at hockey and lacrosse in addition to football. Carver was described coming out of high school as someone who projects as a future starter at the power five level.
My predictions:
Assuming Elijah Arroyo has put his injuries behind him, he's likely Miami's best option to start. He's more well-rounded than McCormick and more experienced than Williams.
Overall, you can expect many if not all of these players to get on the field situationally. Having a deep, healthy tight end room would be quite a luxury. Starting quarterback Cam Ward sees the whole field very well and should be able to get the tight ends more involved in the passing game.
Miami will hold their first spring football practice on Monday, March 4th.
More: How Will Miami's Wide Receiver Battles Play Out In Spring Football?
Who Will Be The Miami Hurricanes Backup Quarterback Behind Cam Ward?
