Although the most important catch in Willie Fritz's four years as Tulane coach came from a tight end, the position never has been a huge factor in his passing game. Charles Jones' easy reception of the 2-point conversion that beat Navy at the end of 2018 and sent the Green Wave to its first bowl game in five seasons were the only points a tight end scored that year. Tight ends have four touchdowns in four seasons, with Kendall Ardoin hauling in one in 2016, Jones two in 2017 and Tyrick James one on a beautifully set-up 45-yard strike against Florida International in the opener last season (never to be repeated).
Those days appear to be over. Extrapolating five spring practices into a season of actual games is a risky proposition, but the tight ends were heavily involved in second-year offensive coordinator Will Hall's passing attack earlier this month. Every day, they were targeted regularly in 11-on-11 dills, so the following numbers figure to be dwarfed when the Wave returns in the fall.
2019: 23 catches by tight ends (James 19, Will Wallace 4)
2018: 17 (Jones 10, James 4, Wallace 3)
2017: 18 (Jones 13, Ardoin 5)
2016: 6 (Ardoin 4, Trey Scott 2)
If James stays healthy, I will be very surprised if he does not catch at least 25 passes this year. Even though he looked a little heavy to me at first glance this spring, he moved well and got open on a variety of routes. He is a threat running down the seam and on out routes, giving the Wave versatility it lacked in the past. He also has good hands, snatching the ball out of the air before defenders can do anything about it.
Redshirt freshman Keshon Williams did not have many grabs that I noted, but one that did register was impressive. He ran a deep post and caught a long pass from Keon Howard for a big gain in the fourth practice. Howard had to scramble before releasing the ball, but Williams gave him a nice target. He will be a factor in the fall.
Wallace is more limited as a receiver but is a good blocker with decent hands. Don't look for him to be running many deep posts, but he can be effective on shorter routes and will get those opportunities if Hall commits to throwing to the tight ends.
I don't recall seeing redshirt freshman Conner Richardson involved or converted linebacker Keitha Jones, but Tulane added a 3-star prospect in Reggie Brown in the 2020 class, an indication Hall takes tight ends seriously. Having six tight ends on scholarship is more than you would expect.
Those days appear to be over. Extrapolating five spring practices into a season of actual games is a risky proposition, but the tight ends were heavily involved in second-year offensive coordinator Will Hall's passing attack earlier this month. Every day, they were targeted regularly in 11-on-11 dills, so the following numbers figure to be dwarfed when the Wave returns in the fall.
2019: 23 catches by tight ends (James 19, Will Wallace 4)
2018: 17 (Jones 10, James 4, Wallace 3)
2017: 18 (Jones 13, Ardoin 5)
2016: 6 (Ardoin 4, Trey Scott 2)
If James stays healthy, I will be very surprised if he does not catch at least 25 passes this year. Even though he looked a little heavy to me at first glance this spring, he moved well and got open on a variety of routes. He is a threat running down the seam and on out routes, giving the Wave versatility it lacked in the past. He also has good hands, snatching the ball out of the air before defenders can do anything about it.
Redshirt freshman Keshon Williams did not have many grabs that I noted, but one that did register was impressive. He ran a deep post and caught a long pass from Keon Howard for a big gain in the fourth practice. Howard had to scramble before releasing the ball, but Williams gave him a nice target. He will be a factor in the fall.
Wallace is more limited as a receiver but is a good blocker with decent hands. Don't look for him to be running many deep posts, but he can be effective on shorter routes and will get those opportunities if Hall commits to throwing to the tight ends.
I don't recall seeing redshirt freshman Conner Richardson involved or converted linebacker Keitha Jones, but Tulane added a 3-star prospect in Reggie Brown in the 2020 class, an indication Hall takes tight ends seriously. Having six tight ends on scholarship is more than you would expect.
