LINCOLN — Three weeks into a heated position battle, the biggest source of tension in the Nebraska tight ends room is about golf.
More specifically: whether redshirt freshman Jack Stoll is any good at it.
“I am the best golfer in the tight ends room,” Stoll said confidently the other day. “For sure.”
Senior tight end Connor Ketter disagrees. Vehemently.
“We argue about it all the time,” Ketter said.
This summer, with more time off than usual, the Nebraska tight ends golfed together fairly often. They played doubles at a handful of courses in Lincoln, and seemed to rotate who had the best day on the links.
If you add fullback Luke McNitt in the group, Ketter says, then the best golfer is Luke. If not Luke, probably Tyler Hoppes. Or, Ketter says, himself.
“Stoll thinks he might be in the top, but I’ll throw myself in the top,” Ketter said.
That time spent on tee boxes and greens this summer is starting to help the group during camp, they said. The summer camaraderie is spilling onto the football field as Stoll, Ketter, Hoppes and the rest compete for the starting tight end spot. And as with their golf game, they all believe they’re out to prove themselves. That as a group, despite losing three senior tight ends from a season ago, they’re all actually pretty good.
“No one knows what the tight ends got this year,” Ketter said. “So we all talked about how we all need to step up. Prove ourselves not just to our teammates but to the coaches and everyone that we’re here to make plays and we can do it.”
Tight ends accounted for only 28 receptions, 283 yards and two touchdowns last season. But with the repackaging and retooling of the offense under redshirt junior quarterback Tanner Lee, the tight ends will no doubt be getting more looks in 2017.
And they know it.
“With Tanner Lee at quarterback,” Ketter said, “we’re gonna make plays.”
Coaches have praised the tight ends’ work the past three weeks.
Hoppes is the leader in the clubhouse to start Sept. 2 against Arkansas State. Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said Hoppes is “probably playing as well as anyone” the past few weeks.
Hoppes transferred from Wayne State in 2014. He redshirted, then played sparingly on special teams in 2016. But the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Lincoln Southwest graduate is starting to show flashes of exactly what Nebraska wants at the position.
“He’s a great matchup with the linebacker and the safety,” Langsdorf said. “That kind of player at that position can be tough on defenses, especially in the red zone. We’re looking forward to seeing him make those plays.”
Tight ends coach Tavita Thompson called Hoppes a “very, very, very good route runner” and hailed Hoppes’ soft hands. Quite simply, Thompson said, Hoppes just gets it. He understands the position. Gets where he’s supposed to be, and when, and why.
“He’s one of those guys if you tell him, ‘Hey, why don’t you try this or that? do you see this or you see that?’ he knows what you’re talking about. He gets it,” Thompson said.
Losing Cethan Carter hurts, the tight ends coach said. The things Carter could do on the field, even just how physically imposing he was, Nebraska will miss that.
But Thompson says the Huskers can make up for that with Hoppes’ finesse. The way Hoppes plays reminds Thompson of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce was the Chiefs’ leading receiver in 2016, catching 85 balls for 1,125 yards and four touchdowns. And Thompson thinks Nebraska could use Hoppes like the Chiefs use Kelce: as a legitimate threat through the air.
“Travis Kelce fits that Tyler Hoppes mold,” Thompson said with a smile.
Behind Hoppes, coaches don’t see much of a drop-off. Thompson really likes the way Stoll looks. How aggressive he is. And loves what sophomore Matt Snyder can contribute.
Which is encouraging, Thompson said, considering what Nebraska wants in the passing game.
With Hoppes or Stoll or Snyder or Ketter, you can put defenses in uncomfortable positions, Langsdorf said. Rather than show your hand on a passing down with four receivers wide, Nebraska can mask plays with three receivers and a tight end, making the defense question that much more what the Huskers will do.
“You can get them in weird defensive personnel groups (that way),” Thompson said. “And game by game you can figure out what you can do with a tight end and force the defense and force their hands in places.”
Hoppes might be the leader to start now, but Stoll and Ketter feel great about stepping in as needed, they said.
The competition to start is still there. Everyone obviously wants playing time. But the collective mentality of the tight ends room mirrors the competitive nature they all shared on the golf course.
They’re just out to prove they’re better than some may think.
“In winter workouts, every single day we decided ‘Hey, we’re going to get better. We’re going to prove everyone wrong,’ ” Stoll said. “And I think by now at this time in fall camp we’ve really proved we can go out there, we can play, and we can really make a huge impact for this team.”
