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Offseason Additions: Dominic Mammarelli (2020 signee)
Offseason Departures: Michael Irvin II (Transferred to FAU), Brian Polendey (Transferred to Colorado State)
The University of Miami’s success with tight ends in the past is no secret even to the average football fan, as Hurricanes’ tight ends own the first round of the NFL Draft (five since 2000). While that might be in the past, not much has changed in Coral Gables, as "Tight End U" continues to be in good hands. In 2020, Miami returns the bulk of the production they got out of the position last season, with juniors Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory combining for nearly all of Miami’s tight end targets. New OC Rhett Lashlee’s system has been very kind to tight ends in the past as well, with SMU TE Kylen Granson putting up 43 catches for 721 yards and 9 TD’s last year. Put it all together, and you’re looking at a spot which will again be one of the strengths of this team in 2020.
Jordan was on his way to having the best season of any tight end in the country before his year was derailed by a foot injury near the end of 2019. Still, Jordan was able to garner first-team All-ACC recognition and was one of three finalists for the Mackey award in just 10 starts. He was second on the team in receiving yardage (495) as well, adding 35 catches and 2 TD’s to his season totals.
On the field, Jordan rarely drops a pass and possesses impressive body control to make adjustments when the ball is in the air. He already has a very developed game as equal parts receiver and blocker, and Jordan also has some wiggle in the open field as well. The Vegas product missed the one week of spring practices with a foot injury, but the prevailing thought is that he will pick up right where he left off last fall and again challenge to be the nation’s top tight end.
With Jordan out this spring, that gave Mallory the first opportunity to impress Lashlee. Mallory showed a strong connection with D’Eriq King and his speed was used as an effective weapon on crossing routes in particular. Mallory improved on his freshman numbers in his second season (16-239-2 in 2019) but was plagued by drops and focus issues. Still, the upside is obvious, as you don’t see many 6'5" football players move as fluid as Mallory does. With his giant frame and athleticism, he could easily become a true red zone threat this season at minimum, with the potential for much more.
Redshirt freshman Larry Hodges was an interesting case last fall, as he showed he was ready to play at the college level as a freshman early on during camp. He parlayed that into seeing time in UM’s first 4 games in 2019, recording 2 catches for 3 yards and 2 TD’s, before sitting out the rest of the season to take a redshirt. Hodges is slightly undersized at 6’2”, 230 pounds, but his strength is his versatility, as he was used as both an H-Back lining up in the backfield and in a goal-line role during his 4 game audition.
The newest member to “Tight End U” is Dominic Mammarelli, a 2020 signee who hails out of Naples High. Coming from a run-heavy, Wing-T offense in high school where he was almost exclusively used as a blocker, the adjustment period in learning Lashlee’s spread system will likely be steep for Mammarelli, who did enroll at UM for spring ball. Pairing that with UM’s depth at the position, Mammarelli would be best served to redshirt, learn the offense, and develop his body for the college game before looking to take on a more prominent role in 2021; however, he could become useful later in the season if injury strikes the position.
Bottom Line
Miami is certainly blessed to be able to have one of the top tight end groups in the country in 2020, as they have high upside talent that has played a lot of football the past two seasons in Jordan and Mallory, plus the versatility that Hodges offers as a swiss army knife in a specialist role. While a slight concern is that each of Jordan’s first two seasons have ended in injury, if he stays healthy for a full year, he has the ability to put together one of the truly great tight end seasons in college football under Lashlee. This fall, you’ll want to watch for how often Lashlee is using Jordan and Mallory on the field at the same time. Also, look out for how creative Lashlee gets with Hodges and if he tries to actively generate a role for Hodges in his scheme, or uses him more sparingly as a traditional third tight end.
Offseason Departures: Michael Irvin II (Transferred to FAU), Brian Polendey (Transferred to Colorado State)
The University of Miami’s success with tight ends in the past is no secret even to the average football fan, as Hurricanes’ tight ends own the first round of the NFL Draft (five since 2000). While that might be in the past, not much has changed in Coral Gables, as "Tight End U" continues to be in good hands. In 2020, Miami returns the bulk of the production they got out of the position last season, with juniors Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory combining for nearly all of Miami’s tight end targets. New OC Rhett Lashlee’s system has been very kind to tight ends in the past as well, with SMU TE Kylen Granson putting up 43 catches for 721 yards and 9 TD’s last year. Put it all together, and you’re looking at a spot which will again be one of the strengths of this team in 2020.
Jordan was on his way to having the best season of any tight end in the country before his year was derailed by a foot injury near the end of 2019. Still, Jordan was able to garner first-team All-ACC recognition and was one of three finalists for the Mackey award in just 10 starts. He was second on the team in receiving yardage (495) as well, adding 35 catches and 2 TD’s to his season totals.
On the field, Jordan rarely drops a pass and possesses impressive body control to make adjustments when the ball is in the air. He already has a very developed game as equal parts receiver and blocker, and Jordan also has some wiggle in the open field as well. The Vegas product missed the one week of spring practices with a foot injury, but the prevailing thought is that he will pick up right where he left off last fall and again challenge to be the nation’s top tight end.
With Jordan out this spring, that gave Mallory the first opportunity to impress Lashlee. Mallory showed a strong connection with D’Eriq King and his speed was used as an effective weapon on crossing routes in particular. Mallory improved on his freshman numbers in his second season (16-239-2 in 2019) but was plagued by drops and focus issues. Still, the upside is obvious, as you don’t see many 6'5" football players move as fluid as Mallory does. With his giant frame and athleticism, he could easily become a true red zone threat this season at minimum, with the potential for much more.
Redshirt freshman Larry Hodges was an interesting case last fall, as he showed he was ready to play at the college level as a freshman early on during camp. He parlayed that into seeing time in UM’s first 4 games in 2019, recording 2 catches for 3 yards and 2 TD’s, before sitting out the rest of the season to take a redshirt. Hodges is slightly undersized at 6’2”, 230 pounds, but his strength is his versatility, as he was used as both an H-Back lining up in the backfield and in a goal-line role during his 4 game audition.
The newest member to “Tight End U” is Dominic Mammarelli, a 2020 signee who hails out of Naples High. Coming from a run-heavy, Wing-T offense in high school where he was almost exclusively used as a blocker, the adjustment period in learning Lashlee’s spread system will likely be steep for Mammarelli, who did enroll at UM for spring ball. Pairing that with UM’s depth at the position, Mammarelli would be best served to redshirt, learn the offense, and develop his body for the college game before looking to take on a more prominent role in 2021; however, he could become useful later in the season if injury strikes the position.
Bottom Line
Miami is certainly blessed to be able to have one of the top tight end groups in the country in 2020, as they have high upside talent that has played a lot of football the past two seasons in Jordan and Mallory, plus the versatility that Hodges offers as a swiss army knife in a specialist role. While a slight concern is that each of Jordan’s first two seasons have ended in injury, if he stays healthy for a full year, he has the ability to put together one of the truly great tight end seasons in college football under Lashlee. This fall, you’ll want to watch for how often Lashlee is using Jordan and Mallory on the field at the same time. Also, look out for how creative Lashlee gets with Hodges and if he tries to actively generate a role for Hodges in his scheme, or uses him more sparingly as a traditional third tight end.