M
Matt OBrien
Guest
Each year, I add some thoughts/analysis on the Gamecock football commits. This year, I thought I'd change it up a bit and add in how I believe each commit will impact their respective position, in addition to sharing some analysis on them.
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QB analysis here
RB analysis here
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The Tight End group sees a bit of turnover this offseason, with the departure of TE Coach Pat Washington, and two seniors in K.C. Crosby and Jacob August. Despite these departures, I don’t anticipate any big changes in terms of how the tight ends fit into the offense in 2019.
Kyle Markway will fill be the team’s primary in-line blocker in running situations and can also play flexed out into the slot, where he’s shown that he can be a threat on vertical routes as a receiver. Kiel Pollard will enter the season as the primary receiving tight end option. Pollard isn’t a burner from a speed perspective, but he is a smooth athlete who plays well in space and makes the most of his targets.
Behind those two, there is a bunch of unknown.
The competition for playing time should be completely open and I expect the coaches to give equal reps to all in preseason practices. This open competition invites newcomers to stand out. 2019 signees Traevon Kenion and Keshawn Toney are early enrollees, and I expect both to do some good things in preseason play and get looks for playing time in 2019 ** see below for analysis on Kenion and Toney **
Will Register chose South Carolina over a few high-end programs in the 2017 class, yet he has not been able to crack into the rotation in his first two years on campus. Register has all the physical tools needed to be a good tight end, both inline and in the slot, so it would be big for the team to see him develop and contribute in 2019. With Crosby and August leaving, and Pollard being more of a true slot TE, now would be the time for Register to step up.
Two-sport athlete Evan Hinson could be another potential breakout player in 2019. Hinson is a natural receiving option out of the slot and is a decent blocker inline, as well. Hinson has not yet developed into a starter in either football or basketball yet, so I am curious to see whether he opts to choose just one in the coming the seasons. My teammate Bruce Ellington was able to play both due to his athleticism and position of play; as he was required to be around the same size and in the same condition in each sport. For Hinson, he is tasked with fluctuating weight and conditioning between each sport, which cuts into his development.
One player who seems to be intriguing, though he may need some more time to develop, is walk-on Patrick Reedy. At 6’7” 270-pounds, Reedy is one of the more physically imposing players on the team and pairs that size with good hands and decent speed.
If the coaches struggle to identify some secondary receiving options out of the tight end group, a solve would be to utilize a bigger wide receiver as the slot tight end. A natural choice for this would be OrTre Smith. I don’t anticipate Smith switching positions or anything, but he does have the ability to easily gain weight to be in the right size range. Of course, we still need to see how Smith recovers from his injury.
In 2018, the leading receiver from the tight end group was Kiel Pollard, with 181 yards. The South Carolina coaches will no doubt look for ways to better incorporate the tight end position into the offense in 2019, but they do need to first get better clarity on which players are ready to step up behind Markway and Pollard.
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Additional analysis on 2019 signees:
Traveon Kenion displays all of the qualities needed to succeed at the tight end position. Kenion is more athletic and has better speed than most tight end prospects. He has the ability to catch the ball in traffic and take it the distance if the first defender misses. Kenion looks like a natural receiving option off the formation in the slot, but he also can play inline where he will be a balanced blocking-receiving option. This is important is because most defenses will have to use a strong safety to cover Kenion, which a favorable offensive match-up.
One comparison for Kenion stood out after watching his tape -- former Clemson TE Dwayne Allen. I watched a lot of tape on Allen in my time at South Carolina, and the two share a lot of the same traits; the most glaring being their size-speed combination and versatility within the offense.
Kenion is rated as a 5.7 three-star TE in the 2019 class. Though this is a good rating, I disagree with it and would have Kenion rated as a 5.9 four-star. I define this as: 5.9 four-star: These are your all-conference players who show the potential to become early round draft picks.
Keshawn Toney is another good get at the tight end position for the Gamecocks. Everything about Toney screams "sleeper" prospect, which Chris Clark touched on here in his Inside the Class feature.
The biggest thing that stands out from Toney is ability to catch the ball away from his body, at the highest point. In this regard, Toney is more advanced than most tight end prospects and even some wide receivers. I expect Toney to make some noise in preseason camps with big catches; one-handers, over defenders, etc..
Toney is rated as a 5.5 three-star TE by in the 2019 class. While I do think we could all be looking back in a few years, asking "how was Toney a 5.5 three-star?!", I don't believe it's too far off. Toney is a dynamite pass-catcher, but he will need some time to develop into an every-down TE or even H-back at the SEC level. I would rate Toney as a 5.6 three-star, which I define as 5.6 three-star: These players show good long-term potential – but would benefit from a redshirt season to develop.
Overall, I like the two signees Kenion and Toney, and believe they set up the TE position for success in future seasons. They seem to pair nicely together and could be used on the field at the same time in offensive formations.
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So, what do you think of the 2019 Tight End group?
Do you think Kenion and/or Toney break through the depth chart and earn significant playing time in 2019?
Which TE do you expect to lead the group in receiving yards?
As always, additional thoughts and questions are welcomed! Thanks
-----------
QB analysis here
RB analysis here
-----------
The Tight End group sees a bit of turnover this offseason, with the departure of TE Coach Pat Washington, and two seniors in K.C. Crosby and Jacob August. Despite these departures, I don’t anticipate any big changes in terms of how the tight ends fit into the offense in 2019.
Kyle Markway will fill be the team’s primary in-line blocker in running situations and can also play flexed out into the slot, where he’s shown that he can be a threat on vertical routes as a receiver. Kiel Pollard will enter the season as the primary receiving tight end option. Pollard isn’t a burner from a speed perspective, but he is a smooth athlete who plays well in space and makes the most of his targets.
Behind those two, there is a bunch of unknown.
The competition for playing time should be completely open and I expect the coaches to give equal reps to all in preseason practices. This open competition invites newcomers to stand out. 2019 signees Traevon Kenion and Keshawn Toney are early enrollees, and I expect both to do some good things in preseason play and get looks for playing time in 2019 ** see below for analysis on Kenion and Toney **
Will Register chose South Carolina over a few high-end programs in the 2017 class, yet he has not been able to crack into the rotation in his first two years on campus. Register has all the physical tools needed to be a good tight end, both inline and in the slot, so it would be big for the team to see him develop and contribute in 2019. With Crosby and August leaving, and Pollard being more of a true slot TE, now would be the time for Register to step up.
Two-sport athlete Evan Hinson could be another potential breakout player in 2019. Hinson is a natural receiving option out of the slot and is a decent blocker inline, as well. Hinson has not yet developed into a starter in either football or basketball yet, so I am curious to see whether he opts to choose just one in the coming the seasons. My teammate Bruce Ellington was able to play both due to his athleticism and position of play; as he was required to be around the same size and in the same condition in each sport. For Hinson, he is tasked with fluctuating weight and conditioning between each sport, which cuts into his development.
One player who seems to be intriguing, though he may need some more time to develop, is walk-on Patrick Reedy. At 6’7” 270-pounds, Reedy is one of the more physically imposing players on the team and pairs that size with good hands and decent speed.
If the coaches struggle to identify some secondary receiving options out of the tight end group, a solve would be to utilize a bigger wide receiver as the slot tight end. A natural choice for this would be OrTre Smith. I don’t anticipate Smith switching positions or anything, but he does have the ability to easily gain weight to be in the right size range. Of course, we still need to see how Smith recovers from his injury.
In 2018, the leading receiver from the tight end group was Kiel Pollard, with 181 yards. The South Carolina coaches will no doubt look for ways to better incorporate the tight end position into the offense in 2019, but they do need to first get better clarity on which players are ready to step up behind Markway and Pollard.
------------
Additional analysis on 2019 signees:
Traveon Kenion displays all of the qualities needed to succeed at the tight end position. Kenion is more athletic and has better speed than most tight end prospects. He has the ability to catch the ball in traffic and take it the distance if the first defender misses. Kenion looks like a natural receiving option off the formation in the slot, but he also can play inline where he will be a balanced blocking-receiving option. This is important is because most defenses will have to use a strong safety to cover Kenion, which a favorable offensive match-up.
One comparison for Kenion stood out after watching his tape -- former Clemson TE Dwayne Allen. I watched a lot of tape on Allen in my time at South Carolina, and the two share a lot of the same traits; the most glaring being their size-speed combination and versatility within the offense.
Kenion is rated as a 5.7 three-star TE in the 2019 class. Though this is a good rating, I disagree with it and would have Kenion rated as a 5.9 four-star. I define this as: 5.9 four-star: These are your all-conference players who show the potential to become early round draft picks.
Keshawn Toney is another good get at the tight end position for the Gamecocks. Everything about Toney screams "sleeper" prospect, which Chris Clark touched on here in his Inside the Class feature.
The biggest thing that stands out from Toney is ability to catch the ball away from his body, at the highest point. In this regard, Toney is more advanced than most tight end prospects and even some wide receivers. I expect Toney to make some noise in preseason camps with big catches; one-handers, over defenders, etc..
Toney is rated as a 5.5 three-star TE by in the 2019 class. While I do think we could all be looking back in a few years, asking "how was Toney a 5.5 three-star?!", I don't believe it's too far off. Toney is a dynamite pass-catcher, but he will need some time to develop into an every-down TE or even H-back at the SEC level. I would rate Toney as a 5.6 three-star, which I define as 5.6 three-star: These players show good long-term potential – but would benefit from a redshirt season to develop.
Overall, I like the two signees Kenion and Toney, and believe they set up the TE position for success in future seasons. They seem to pair nicely together and could be used on the field at the same time in offensive formations.
--------------
So, what do you think of the 2019 Tight End group?
Do you think Kenion and/or Toney break through the depth chart and earn significant playing time in 2019?
Which TE do you expect to lead the group in receiving yards?
As always, additional thoughts and questions are welcomed! Thanks
