2010 BYU Preview: Tight Ends
Devin Mahina
To say that there are big shoes to fill at the tight end position for BYU in 2010 is an understatement.
With the departure of Dennis Pitta and Andrew George, go a combined career total of 286 catches, 3,683 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Virtually all of the candidates that will be trying to measure up to the task are freshmen.
They are talented group for sure, but September 4th against the Washington Huskies will be the first time any of them has stepped onto the field in a Division-1 football game.
BYU’s recent history of great tight end combos include Pitta and George, Harline and Coats, Jolley and Reid, and Lewis and Mili, to name a few. This year the Cougars will be searching for that next great group of tight ends.
However, with the inexperience at the position and the wealth of experience at wide receiver, there is a chance that the tight end position may take more of a back seat this season in the BYU offense.
Here’s a look at the candidates who are anxious to fill the big shoes left behind:
Mike Muehlmann (6-4, 230 Fr) came to the program as a relatively unheralded player, but has more than held his own against his more highly recruited teammates. Mike was an all-around athlete at American Fork High playing quarterback and defensive lineman as well as tight end. He also wrestled and competed in track and field for the Cavemen. On the field he definitely looks like your prototypical BYU tight end.
Muehlmann demonstrated this past spring that he has nice hands and runs strong routes. If the season were to start tomorrow he would likely be the starter based the results of spring ball. He redshirted last season at BYU after originally committing to Utah.
One of those highly recruited athletes in the mix is Devin Mahina (6-6, 230 Fr). Devin competed this spring after returning home from his mission. He is very tall, long and athletic and will present a huge target for Cougar quarterbacks in the redzone.
Mahina’s potential is through the roof, however gauging from his spring performance his route running needs some sharpening up. The true freshman from Upland, California also need to add some weight as well. Assuming the Cougars employ multiple tight ends this season, Devin should be part of the rotation.
Will Richard Wilson (6-2, 238 Fr) be a tight end or a linebacker? There has been some consideration by coaches to play him at linebacker and he has switched back and forth. He was injured early on during spring drills but was running with the tight ends and showing well at the beginning of spring practice. He enters fall listed as a tight end on the depth chart and I still believe he has a chance to be a star there for the Cougars if that’s where he ends up.
Wilson was one of the top tight ends recruits in the nation when he came out of Spanish Fork High School in 2009 and had offers from Miami, LSU, Tennessee, Stanford and UCLA. He is a smooth athlete with very good speed that can create some real match up problems for linebackers and safeties trying to cover him. The only thing he lacks is prototypical height, standing just 6′2″ tall.
Cougar fans have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Austin Holt (6-6, 240 Fr) for over two years now. When Holt signed with BYU in 2008 out of Bingham High School, he was considered by some to be the top tight end prospect in the country.
Austin returns home from his mission just in time for fall and it will be interesting to see what kind of shape he arrives at camp in and if coaches decide to play or redshirt him this year. BYU may want to create some eligibility space between Austin and the some of the other freshmen.
Jordan Lower (6-5, 240 Jr) is a transfer from Snow Junior College. The Ogden, Utah native showed that he can play some during spring ball. He’s a nice sized target as well.
Marcus Mathews (6-4, 200 Fr) is a returned missionary out of Southridge High in Beaverton, Oregon that made the switch from receiver to tight end during the spring. Marcus has some weight to put on before he will be able to compete. I’m thinking he will redshirt this season.
Arriving from high school:
Bryan Sampson from Pleasant Grove High School
I think Austin Holt will redshirt, along with Marcus Matthews. With the depth BYU has at tight end, and some great athletes at the position, you do have to wonder who will take the Vic So’oto route and get moved. Vic was a victim of big TE numbers as well, but his athleticism had to be used somewhere, and hopefully he has that break out year this season we all have expected from him. I would not be surprised to see one get moved to employ their abilities elsewhere, perhaps at fullback, where BYU seems to have a need. And as these guys are big, block well and can catch it, I’d love to see a huge FB to go along with out massive O-line.
Thanks Brett for posting all of this. This is good reading. I also like how frequent you are posting these articles. Some sights do a position review and then wait 3 weeks before the next posting. You have posted a new position review each day for the last 3 days! Thank you! Reading and thinking about all of the talent on the team one cant help but think about how good we will be in the next couple of years. I am sure the yewts are thanking their lucky stars that they just jumped ship and probably wont have to face the 2011 and 2012 teams that on paper look to be the best collection of talent we have had on one team at the same time. If we can get all of this talent some experience, watch out! Please keep the position posts coming Brett.
The thing that I think is interesting to note, that is not being mentioned in too many of the other general publications, is that BYU seems to have increased it’s overall team speed. When you consider the increased speed at WR, RB (with Phillips), and most importantly on the defensive side of the ball with So’to and Pendelton, it seems that this Cougar team will be more atheltic and faster than last year’s. Do you think this is the case or am I just reading too much into it?
Oh yeah, football fever is coming on…and the only cure is….
@ Attu AK,
You are right, the speed and athleticism have been significantly upgraded on this team. Opponents better take their best shot this year, because the Cougars are going to be very good starting 2011 and beyond.
I hope they keep Wilson at TE. I think that’s where he’ll be the most effective for the team. I’m trying to think of all the TE’s BYU has had and the only one I could find in the last 20 years who was 6-2 is Terrence Saluone who played around 1992-93. Wilson seem more in the mold of Pitta with his athleticism and good hands.
Sweet Moses, I forgot about Austin Holt! I can’t wait to that kid play… well I guess he’s not a kid anymore after serving a mish. I hope he shakes off the mission rust and takes off.
There’s this missionary from Idaho that used to be in our area, Las Cruces (formerly Arizona Tucson mission), with the last name of Bair. He is another tall tight end dude, 6-6 or 6-7, and he claims that Paul Tidwell was recruiting him. I find it hard to believe because BYU gets the best TEs, especially lately. He said that he might choose Idaho State instead becuase of their physical therapy program, which he wants to do, and BYU does not have one. I told him if he wanted a chance in the NFL it’s a no-brainer. He didn’t seem to think that was a big deal. I think he probably would get more playing time at Idaho State. I haven’t heard anything about him and what he chose to do, but if he really was being recruited, he must have been decent. His brother is a line-backer at Oregon.
Wow…choices, choices. So much talent on this team, and so few positions. It’s great to be a Cougar fan these days. I think the “experts” who are predicting an off year for BYU this season are in for a shock.
Great article. Loving this stuff. The holes left by seniors are just jammed with options. I don’t know why we won’t simply reload.
richard wilson at FB…thoughts brett?
I think Austin Holt will be ready to play fresh off his mission. He was serving here in Columbia Missouri right before he left home and I was talking with him about his conditioning. He was waking up at the crack of dawn running the basketball stadium stairs and he had a nice set of weights in the garage of the place where he was living. From playing football on p-days with the guy I can say he will be ready. But we are loaded on tight end so maybe redshirt is the way to go this year. The guy has serious talent though. I see good things in his future.
I think it amazing that coaches in the MWC and college football publicists around the country seem to think that BYU will crumple into a big heap and fall apart.
Let’s think back to three years ago when Max, who hadn’t played a down of D-1 football was spanked in the media and by the ever-so knowlegable fans to the north of Provo. Uh…….let’s see…what did Max do in the next three years besides receive an incredible of criticism from media types and opposing fans?
This particular Cougar team has so much potential. They have the skill plus all the necessary little things to become a dominating teams. And I believe that if these guys have faith in themselves….why shouldn’t we as fans believe as well.
Great article..and I’ll also suggest that Richard Wilson at FB sounds scary good….just a thought
@Justin
Interesting thought, Wilson at FB or H-back could be intriguing.
Great insights, Brett–thanks for these insightful posts.
I would love to see an article on team leadership, that intangible aspect of the game that determines maybe more than raw talent how well the team will perform. Do we have leaders at the right skill positions to create the right team unity and chemistry? As an intangible, leadership is hard to quantify or analyze, but is absolutely the hallmark of some of the BYU greats (Detmer,Doman, etc.).
Thanks again!
Something I loved from the early days of DSB was the analysis not only of the players, but the plays and schemes Quinn expected BYU to run. Any way we can get more of that? I’d love to see, especially as we know more solidly who the starters are going to be, what defensive formations and assignments we’ll use for the early part of the season; you know, the one where everyone’s just going to try to run it down our gullet. Washington, Air Force, Florida State, Nevada… seems like our front seven will get their fill before anyone starts seriously testing our secondary.
How ’bout it Brett?
Peter,
Quinn will be adding more of his thoughts and insights as we get into the season.
Oh man, Tight ends. Some people have been saying that BYU is Quarterback U. I don’t think so. I think it is Tight End U. Look at the list of TE’s that have come through BYU. Starting with but not limited to, Lewis/Mili, Johnson, Jolley, Nead/Reid, Coats/Harline, Pitta/George. More than 15 years of NFL caliber TE’s and that as not counting before the Lewis/mili combo.
This year will be no different. BYU will have two players step up and show that they can play. Talent is certainly there. Remember that Jolley was a QB when he came to BYU and Pitta was a WR before he got here as well.
As long as the Players learn how to sit in the zone and shield the defenders with their bodies. I see no reason this should not be another spectacular year for the TE group. The backs and TE’s will expose the underneath coverages this year just like every year because that is the offense that BYU runs.
I hope that they learn to use the middle of the field as well as Pitta/George. I feel that the coaches know how to utilize the short passing game very well and we will see very little difference this year in overall production of the backs and TE’s. Especially because of the attention that the outside WR will get this year. Defenses won’t be able to cheat with the safeties on the TE’s and Backs. If they do the WR will have a field day with their size. I bet we will see a lot more underneath man this year leaving the safeties to help over the top and I don’t see many LB’s in the league able to cover our TE’s or Backs for long.
With all the depth at TE and LB I would like to see Richard Wilson moved to Fullback. He has the ideal size at 6′2″ 230 and i am sure he knows how to block and catch being that he has been a TE up until now.
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