Can Auburn find roles for all 6 tight ends this season?

[aubiefifty 16,774]

Can Auburn find role for all 6 tight ends this season? Brad Bedell believes so

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

6-7 minutes

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Brad Bedell noticed a change in opposing defenses late last season. They began to do more to account for Auburn’s tight ends in the passing game.

That was new, and it was different. After years of tight ends being seldom involved in the passing attack, Auburn finally made use of the position during Bryan Harsin’s first season, and opponents began to respect it. The position, led by record-setting tight end John Samuel Shenker, accounted for 55 receptions for 630 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.

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The Tigers hope to build on that this season with a group that is arguably the deepest on the team. Auburn returns all five of its tight ends from last season—Shenker (back for a sixth year), Tyler Fromm, Luke Deal, Landen King and Brandon Frazier — and welcome in freshman Micah Riley-Ducker (a “big, physical kid” who, according to Bedell, is acclimating well this spring). It’s a bounty of talent, and continuity, that has made Bedell somewhat the envy of the Tigers’ coaching staff this spring.

“We say we’ve got a lot of experience, but there’s a lot of things we need to improve on, you know?” Bedell said. “We had a couple drops versus LSU. That’s not acceptable. And so, I want to pat them on the back, guys, but we’re not there yet. And that’s the other thing about development: now we get to move on to those things faster than last year.”

The question for Auburn, and for Bedell, is how the team plans to take advantage of the room’s quality depth this season.

Shenker last season emerged as one of Auburn’s most reliable options in the passing game. He set a program record for receptions and yards by a receiver, finishing with 33 catches for 413 yards but zero touchdowns. He announced after the season that he would be back for a sixth year, taking advantage of the NCAA’s free year of eligibility allowed due to the pandemic, with Bedell joking this week that the former 2017 signee is on track for his doctorate at this point.

Shenker’s decision to return didn’t come as a surprise to Bedell, who sat down with him toward the end of the season and made his pitch on why the Tigers wanted him to pursue a sixth season. After talking it over with his family, Shenker decided returning was in his best interest.

“I gave him all the positives,” Bedell said. “… It worked out. He was my top recruit coming out of the season.”

Shenker’s return provides an inherent boost to Auburn’s passing game, especially with so little returning experience at receiver. He can be a safety valve, of sorts, for whichever quarterback emerges from the team’s offseason competition, whether it’s sole returner T.J. Finley or one of the three newcomers at the position: Zach Calzada, Robby Ashford or Holden Geriner. Shenker still has room for growth, as Bedell was sure to point out, even if the gap between where he is and where he needs to get has narrowed considerably.

“There are those little things in his game we need to get better to get to the next level,” Bedell said. “We’re not out here; we’re closing this thing down, and this is the difference between getting open versus that safety and not -- and the overall development of him and the room.

While Shenker is the unquestioned leader of the group, he was hardly the only tight end to get more involved in the Tigers’ offense last season. Fromm had eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown (the lone score coming on Bo Nix’s memorable Houdini-esque escape against LSU), while Deal had nine receptions for 65 yards and a score, easily surpassing his two catches for 11 yards the year prior. King, who is now working in a hybrid role and splitting time at receiver this spring, had five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown (his first career score coming in overtime of the Iron Bowl).

Frazier didn’t record a catch, nor did he see the field as much as he did as a true freshman in 2020, but he still worked his way onto the field as Auburn utilized more two-tight end sets. He has taken another step forward this spring, too.

“Boy, he’s gotten bigger and faster and stronger,” Bedell said. “And you’re seeing that. With him developing, you’ve got a lot of competition in that room, and it’s getting everybody better. Through this, I wanted to point that out. He’s done a real nice job. He’s pushed everybody else. That’s kind of that lost guy where everybody’s asking, ‘Where’s Brandon Frazier?’ Well, Brandon Frazier’s in the thick of it. He’s done a nice job.”

That speaks more to the quality of the makeup of the position group. They’re all still developing in one aspect or another — Deal, for example, is working on being more of a pass-catcher after starting as a more gifted blocking tight end; King needs to grow when it comes to blocking but is a natural receiver, etc. — but the overall talent level in the room has Bedell excited for the possibilities this season.

“Everybody’s got to know everything,” Bedell said. “Everybody’s dream is to play in the National Football League. To play in the National Football League, you’ve got to be a tight end who’s got to stay on the field.”

Compared to years past, at least, this group of tight ends knows it will have ample opportunities to see the field. Now it’s about how Auburn continues to evolve the position from Year 1 to Year 2, and with a new offensive coordinator — but familiar system — in Eric Kiesau.

“I think I can use everybody in the room, to be honest with you,” Bedell said. “… How can we get them on the field? We can get them all on the field at the same time. We can! And that just kind of tells us about the athletic ability in the room as well.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

I honestly don't understand why TEs keep signing with us. It's perplexing. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

8 minutes ago, WarEagle1983 said:

I honestly don't understand why TEs keep signing with us. It's perplexing. 

I agree until last year where we actually used them in multiple roles.  With the talent we have now if we do find a way to use all of them and they all contribute then it will be even easier to recruit the position going forward. We have to give the people who recruit TE's a lot of credit for selling the vision of how we would use TE's as before last year there was not much to sell based on how we had underutilized them.

[McLoofus 35,182]

You're really only talking about 4 guys- Shenker, From, Deal and Frazier. King is going to play more of a receiver position and the freshman is a freshman. He'll get puh-LENTY of opportunity in the coming years.

So, yes, this staff will be able to use 4 TEs in traditional TE roles in an offense that has almost no experience at WR and that knows how to line up 2 TEs on the field at the same time. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

By the way, 4 TEs totaled 55 catches for us last year. They're all back.

We're only returning 65 total catches at the WR positions. 

Even if you counted 2 full time TE positions, that suggests that we're going to lean on the TEs quite heavily this year. Between that and what Kiesau has said about building around Tank, should we be dusting off Luck-era Stanford tapes???

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

46 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

I agree until last year where we actually used them in multiple roles.  With the talent we have now if we do find a way to use all of them and they all contribute then it will be even easier to recruit the position going forward. We have to give the people who recruit TE's a lot of credit for selling the vision of how we would use TE's as before last year there was not much to sell based on how we had underutilized them.

I certainly think we should be TE heavy since we have so many. This year is the perfect time to use them in multiple ways. We're going to need them this season in a big way. I know 2 TE sets is old school but the Cowboys use it often. 1 is more of pass catcher and the other blocking so it's like another OL. Many times what looks like a run play according to personnel is indeed a passing play. You can be in situations that may look like running plays but are actually passing. It keeps the defense guessing out of a 2 TE set. We have unproven WRs. I think our TEs are by far better than the WR group. USE THEM!

I know coaches have systems/schemes they want to run but the best coaches in my opinion are able to adjust and find ways to get impact of what they currently have. It may not beat a Bama or UGA but you'll have a fighting chance.

[DAG 33,980]

Tight ends have shown to be an essential to the success of championship caliber teams as of late. If you could at the next level, the type of style of TE has drastically changed, causing some major schematic problems for opposing defenses . I look forward to seeing what this staff can come up with for our TEs. 

[IronMan70 3,277]

One of them is primarily going to be a WR. So then with a 2 TE set, another at FB for Tank, another at WR and you have 4 on the field at the same time. You can run many solid run/pass plays out of that set and have all the safety valves you need to counter a blitz.  

[bigbird 60,513]

Shenker will be a TE/HB type

Deal and Frasier will be true in-line TE types

Fromm and King will be joker TE types

[au302 2,669]

Thinking about this today. Kiesau says we'll have more pro-style concepts this year. At Boise they seemed to go under center and use play-action a bit more than we did last year.

We went under center and play-action with Bo a little bit, but pretty much ditched going under center with TJ. With our TE's and RB's being the strengths, seems like we should get under center, feed the RB's, and use TE's over the middle and deep balls. This is also why I think Calzada or Geriner will start. That said, I'm just a regular fan and not a X and O's guy so this may be an idiotic idea

[toddc 13,194]

On 3/31/2022 at 3:18 PM, WarEagle1983 said:

I certainly think we should be TE heavy since we have so many. This year is the perfect time to use them in multiple ways. We're going to need them this season in a big way. I know 2 TE sets is old school but the Cowboys use it often. 1 is more of pass catcher and the other blocking so it's like another OL. Many times what looks like a run play according to personnel is indeed a passing play. You can be in situations that may look like running plays but are actually passing. It keeps the defense guessing out of a 2 TE set. We have unproven WRs. I think our TEs are by far better than the WR group. USE THEM!

I know coaches have systems/schemes they want to run but the best coaches in my opinion are able to adjust and find ways to get impact of what they currently have. It may not beat a Bama or UGA but you'll have a fighting chance.

And you know who the offensive coordinator is at Dallas-  Kellen Moore - who played for… at  Boise State

[tightendoverthemiddle 102]

Two TE/Three TE sets, all STILL WORK. You can do EVERYTHING from a Two TE set that you can do with 4 Wides.

(TE spot CAN be a WR, WOW what a Brilliant idea} huh ... maybe a mismatch..

[Browning4AU 405]

What are the odds that Landen King just moves to WR full-time? Shenker, Deal, Fromm, and Frazier should lock down the TE positions. The limited action I recall King in, his range is too dangerous to keep off the field. 

[bigbird 60,513]

2 hours ago, Browning4AU said:

What are the odds that Landen King just moves to WR full-time? Shenker, Deal, Fromm, and Frazier should lock down the TE positions. The limited action I recall King in, his range is too dangerous to keep off the field. 

[au302 2,669]

4 hours ago, Browning4AU said:

What are the odds that Landen King just moves to WR full-time? Shenker, Deal, Fromm, and Frazier should lock down the TE positions. The limited action I recall King in, his range is too dangerous to keep off the field. 

Honestly I'm just classifying King as a "ball player" at this point. Line him up everywhere. Out wide, in the slot, at TE. Hell, put him in the backfield and motion him out. Whatever they gotta do to create mismatches and get him the ball 

[Browning4AU 405]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

As soon as I posted it I knew I was gonna get a "50/50."