ASU Football: Will tight ends have greater role in offense?
By Sam Ficarro
ASU football really hasn’t had a weapon at the tight end position since Kody Kohl graduated from the program. Can this group emerge to aid the passing game?
Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins will have a deep wide receiver group this season but what about the tight ends?
Kody Kohl was a highly productive tight end for the Sun Devils in Tempe posting 628 career receiving yards as a go-to red zone target.
Kohl’s best year came in 2015 where he was named to Mackey Award Midseason Watch List for college football’s best tight end and caught 32 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns.
The Gilbert, Arizona native finished his Sun Devil career with 10 touchdowns tying Zach Miller for the third-most touchdowns from a tight end in school history.
Entering last season, Jay Jay Wilson was pegged as Kohl’s replacement but he would end up getting moved to the defensive side of the ball after the season-ending injury Koron Crump sustained.
As linebacker, Wilson recorded 46 tackles and four tackles for loss with his highlight moment coming against Utah, where he returned an interception for a touchdown. Wilson also recorded a team-high 12 tackles in last year’s Sun Bowl.
This season, Ceejhay French-Love is the man expected to be the starting tight end. French-Love was the team’s ninth-leading receiver last season recording three receptions, 49 yards and one touchdown.
French-Love’s touchdown came against Stanford on a 14-yard pass from wide receiver N’Keal Harry.
With the deep wide receiving group, French-Love could be poised for a breakout season as he could create space in the middle of the field.
Behind French-Love are inexperienced tight ends in senior Josh Pokraka, redshirt junior Tommy Hudson, redshirt sophomore Jared Bubak, redshirt freshmen Michael Gombert and Mark Walton and freshman Jarick Caldwell.
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It’s French-Love’s job and with the added playing time last year after Wilson’s position switch, he should be better prepared to make a larger contribution.