LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As the start of the 2024 college football season approaches, The Louisville Report will be breaking down each position on the Cardinals roster, and in the next installment of our position analysis series, we will be looking at tight end.
- Mark Redman (6-5, 255, R-Sr.)
- Jaleel Skinner (6-5, 225, sophomore)
- Jamari Johnson (6-5, 265, R-Fr.)
- Nate Kryskey (6-3, 240, R-So.)
- Isaiah Cummings (6-4, 235, R-Sr.)
- Duane Martin (6-2, 260, Sr.)
- Dylan Messman (6-5, 230, Fr.)
When Jeff Brohm took over the University of Louisville football program ahead of the 2023 season, he inherited a tight end corps that didn't have much experience catching the ball. Former head coach Scott Satterfield often used his tight ends as blockers in a run-heavy scheme and rarely used them in the passing game, with the exception of Marshon Ford.
That's the opposite of how Brohm has used tight ends, who were underrated anchors in Brohm's offenses at Western Kentucky and Purdue, with players like Tyler Higbee, Brycen Hopkins and Payne Durham drafted for their pass-catching prowess.
As you might expect, Louisville hasn't been able to get much production out of the tight end position in the passing game. as a whole He had 377 yards and five touchdowns on just 35 receptions. For reference, Payne Durham had 56 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 (Brohm's final season at Purdue) alone.
There's no question that the tight ends were a weak spot on the offense, and perhaps the team as a whole, last season. Inconsistent performances from quarterback Jack Plummer and inconsistent performances from the wide receivers, along with a lack of reliable options in the middle of the field, all contributed to a sometimes disappointing passing attack last season.
However, 2024 is expected to be a big step forward for the tight end position.
Shortly after the season ended, Brohm and the team put all their effort into attacking the transfer portal, with tight end being one of the positions they focused on the most. By the time spring rolled around, they had acquired three tight ends through the portal, including one who would likely be a TE1 by the time the season began.
San Diego State transfer Mark Redman didn't arrive in time to participate in spring training, but he's already established a reputation as one of the Mountain West's best tight ends over the past two seasons. Last year, he caught 37 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Aztecs in all three categories.
At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, Redman is already a good mismatch against most inside linebackers and safeties. He's a good route runner, has solid handling (only one drop on 57 targets) and is a good pass blocker, making him the clear favorite to be the starter. Of course, he'll have to adjust to the power conference level as fall camp approaches, but that shouldn't be an issue.
While Redman will most likely be the starting tight end, there are still two tight ends on the roster in Jaleel Skinner and Jamari Johnson who could very well play big roles in the offense this season.
Skinner, ranked as a top 150 prospect for the 2022 class, spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Miami. He showed early promise as a freshman, recording nine receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown in nine games, but played just 25 offensive snaps in two games last season and recorded just one catch for nine yards.
The former Canes had an up-and-down spring training session, but still made a lot of plays in the open practice session. He's not only arguably the most athletic tight end on the team, but also one of the most versatile. Instead of lining up as an in-line blocker or in the slot, Skinner was split out wide on a couple of occasions and played on the outside of the number. Keep an eye on him heading into fall training camp.
Johnson hasn't seen much playing time since entering college — he redshirted his first season and then struggled to post stats in just 67 appearances last season — but the ultra-talented former top 200 prospect looks set to take on a bigger role this season.
Comparing Johnson's play this spring to last fall's camp, it's clear he's a lot more poised than he has been since he began his career as a quarterback in high school. For starters, he's perfectly built for the 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame. Additionally, he's become more physical at the line of scrimmage and has made big strides in his ball-tracking skills. He can make flashy plays, but he can also struggle with the more basic plays, so he'll need to be more consistent when it comes to actually catching the ball, but he's got loads of potential.
While the aforementioned three will likely be Louisville's main tight end rotation, the one to watch in 2024 is Nate Kryskey. After just 18 catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns last season, he has 11 catches for 83 yards and one touchdown in the final four games. He has been praised by the staff as an extremely intelligent player and has seemed to become more comfortable as a pass-catcher as the 2023 season has progressed, with some standout plays in the spring.
One player whose role is yet to be determined is Isaiah Cummings, a transfer from Kentucky. He didn't do much in his four seasons with the Wildcats, only making four catches for 98 yards last season. That said, he was also overshadowed by Kentucky's talented tight end roster. He had a great first year as a tight end in 2021, but all of his performances last season came in the final two games. He practiced as both a tight end and a wide receiver in the spring game, and the local native will no doubt be eager to make an impact in any way he can.
Martin may not have many minutes as a pass catcher, but he will definitely have a role on this team. When Brohm arrived, Martin was retained as a blocking tight end and now serves as essentially the team's go-to fullback. Brohm's offense primarily runs out of pistol and shotgun, but also features a sprinkling of I-formations and offset I's. Martin will thrive as a lead blocker in those situations, as evidenced by his 104 run-blocking snaps last season.
With plenty of other options, Messman is the favorite to take a redshirt this season as he is the only true freshman, but the four-star prospect has very high potential as both a pass-catcher and blocker. With three tight ends scheduled to graduate after this season, Messman should be ready to contribute in 2025.
Overall, there's no doubt that Louisville's tight end corps is in a much better position than it was at this time last season. Not only have the Cardinals acquired several transfer students who fit their pass-heavy offense, but the returning players also seem positioned to take big steps forward in 2024. Jeff Brohm's offense has always been most successful when it has a reliable tight end in the passing game, and they have more options at tight end this season than they did in 2023.
(Photo by Jamari Johnson provided by University of Louisville Athletics)
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