aubiefifty 16,766 Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 Coaches say 'don't sleep' on Deal Jason Caldwell 3-4 minutes Coach Likes Contact Drills Vs. Auburn's Top D-Linemen AUBURN, Alabama—If you just look at his numbers, Auburn junior tight end Luke Deal might not seem like an important part of things for the Tigers on offense, but just ask his coaches and teammates and you’ll get a much different answer. A key component in Auburn’s run game as a blocker and also a capable receiver when given the opportunity, Deal is someone that has the respect of everyone on that side of the ball. “Luke's a tough kid, strong,” Auburn offensive line coach Will Friend said. “Football is important to him and that enables him to be able to play in that Z area (off the line of scrimmage), put his hand in the dirt and do that and, you know, don't sleep on Luke. He'll make a play down there, too.” But there’s much more to Deal than just his production on the field. It’s the work he puts in off the field, the way he goes about his business every day, and his value as a teammate that stands out to tight ends coach Brad Bedell. “You want to talk about a phenomenal human being that has worked extremely hard,” Bedell said of Deal. “He’s kind of the guy that nobody wants to talk about, and I think he likes it that way. He just puts his head down and works unbelievably hard. He’s changed his body. “He’s bigger and he’s extremely strong. He had an unbelievable catch against Mississippi State on the back end for a touchdown. He had some big catches versus Arkansas. I think he’s a great utilization to do multiple things.” Playing in 28 career games over the last three seasons, Deal has just 11 career receptions after catching nine passes for 65 yards and a touchdown last year. Those aren’t the kind of stats that will make people sit up and take notice, but Bedell said don’t sleep on the former high school quarterback. “He kind of surprises some people, he really does,” Bedell said. “I wouldn’t say he’s the fastest guy in the world, but he surprises a lot of people. I like it that way.” 9COMMENTS Part of a tight end group that put up some good numbers a season ago with Bryan Harsin wanting to get more out of the position, Deal said it’s time for him and the rest of the guys to take the next step. With teams now very familiar with what Deal, John Samuel Shenker, Tyler Fromm and others can do, the junior said it’s all about everyone pulling together to get the job done. “We're not into hiding anymore though,” Deal said. “People kind of know that we're gonna use 'em and that's kind of what we want. Just try to stop us. We're gonna keep building on top of that. We got a great room, deep room. We'll use it all.” ">247Sports 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Win4AU 4,052 Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Would you say he’s the real Deal? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird 60,512 Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 10 hours ago, Win4AU said: Would you say he’s the real Deal? I wouldn't, but I'd never stop you from saying it... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 16,766 Posted August 17, 2022 Author Share Posted August 17, 2022 11 hours ago, Win4AU said: Would you say he’s the real Deal? you are asking a man that pretends to be a bird questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPTiger 5,153 Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 4 hours ago, aubiefifty said: you are asking a man that pretends to be a bird questions? Fifty, that is akin to saying Aubie pretends to be a tiger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 16,766 Posted August 17, 2022 Author Share Posted August 17, 2022 11 minutes ago, LPTiger said: Fifty, that is akin to saying Aubie pretends to be a tiger. well now that depends............and no i do not have nay on today. but hey guess what i am not fifty and they would run me out of town if they caught me in an aubie suit. grins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rexbo 104 Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 My hopes for this season are a somewhat more effective OL, so Tank can get through some holes. If he and the other RB's can average over 5 ypc, whenever the defense starts crowding the box we should have an automatic 10-15 yards with any of our TE's going over the middle and finding the opening. Let's get them in the film room to watch Travis Kelce a few hours every day... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird 60,512 Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Deal has been our best blocker since he stepped on campus 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle 9,064 Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 3 hours ago, bigbird said: Deal has been our best blocker since he stepped on campus Wild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now