Carl Tucker excited about opportunity for tight ends

Carolina's tight ends were mainly blockers, decoys in previous offense

What’s old is new again in Chapel Hill.

Not only is Mack Brown back in charge of the Carolina football program, but he’s bringing the tight end position with him.

The days of Alge Crumpler and Eric Ebron had become a distant memory over the past two seasons as Tar Heel tight ends managed a total of 64 catches, accounting for just 13.7 percent of the team’s receptions over that span.

Expect that to change this season with offensive coordinator Phil Longo at the helm.

“I feel like it’s more dynamic,” tight end Carl Tucker said. “We’re all over the place like last year, but unlike last year, we’re getting the ball all from over the place.

Last season, Tucker said that tight ends were often deployed in situations with only blocking responsibilities or running decoy routes with no actual intent on having a quarterback look their way.

Thus far, Tucker has been pleased with the new role, which gives him an opportunity to line up as a receiver more than attached at the line of scrimmage and go into motion.

“I’m detached most of the time,” Tucker said. “We’re really all over the place.”

How that translates to the field remains to be seen, as Longo’s tight ends at Ole Miss last season, Dawson Knox and Octavious Cooley combined for 23 catches for 328 yards with one touchdown.

Part of that could be attributed to the Rebels’ cast of receivers, though, with both A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf going in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Whether that opportunity comes to fruition for Tucker and his teammates is irrelevant at this point — they’re just happy to have the chance to be more involved in the offense.

“Every time we’re on the field, there’s an opportunity for us to get the ball,” Tucker said. “There’s other special ways that we could get the ball as well.”