On Thursday, Colorado wrapped up fall camp practice No. 6 and the second in full pads. It's no secret that tight ends coach Taylor Embree has taken significant steps since being hired by Karl Dorrell to beef up his room.
On Thursday, Colorado wrapped up fall camp practice No. 6 and the second in full pads. It's no secret that Embree has taken significant steps since being hired by Karl Dorrell to beef up his room.
That, of course, can easily be evidenced in the three, free-of-cost players he brought in as walk-ons well before camp started. Matt Lynch via UCLA, Jake Peters via Arizona and Nick Fisher, a grad transfer from William Jewell College.
And then there's battle-tested junior Brady Russell and sophomore Luke Stillwell, who blueshirted last year, getting a season of practice under his belt.
Even with all of those aforementioned guys, they're still not the extent of bodies Embree has to work with in 2020 — true freshman Louis Passarello, sophomore CJ Schmanski and junior Jared Poplawski, who is approaching a return
But one thing is for sure: tight ends are going to have a more significant role within CU's offense this year.
“Compared to last year, I’d say we’re being utilized in more unique ways," Russell said. "We were used a lot last year, but it was repeating the same things a lot of the time. We’ve got a lot of unique things we get to do now in terms of pulling, blocking on the edge or whatever it might be. We’re doing a lot more different things and in the pass game, too, we have some more concepts.”
Part of that certainly is attributed to the new offense Darrin Chiaverini plans to run this fall. Secondly, Embree's style of coaching and his mentality regarding the tight ends is setting the Buffs up to be very multiple in what the position can contribute.
“We’re the jack of all trades," Embree said. "We’ve got to pass pro(tect), we’ve got to block in the run game and we have to win on routes and catch the ball in the pass game. When you get a good tight end, and especially when he can do a lot of things, the defense is forced to either put a cover guy on him, and that’s when you can run the ball at them, or if they want to put a bigger dude on him you can get out in the pass game and work the mismatch there."
"One thing that I brought when I came here is that my tight ends are going to be able to do it all and I think that’s where the game is headed. As a tight end, if you’re just limited to the run game or the pass game, there’s little use of you. You’ve got to be able to do both.”
Russell thus far likes the sample size of work from the tight ends in general.
“I think we’ve seen a lot of good stuff from everybody...Some of the new guys are really stepping up — Matt (Lynch) has looked really good," he said. "He’s got real sure hands and he’s learning to be real aggressive in the run game, which is fun. Nick (Fisher) being such a big body has looked good and he’s (took) some steps forward.”
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Taylor Embree on Brady Russell:
“Brady is really finding his role right now as a leader — on the team end, on the offense. He’s really starting to master the playbook and his technique. He’s what you want. He shows up to work every day and with him, he can play anything he wants. He’s good with the fullback type of stuff, he’s good at route running, he’s good on and off the line of scrimmage — he’s exactly what you want in your room.”
Taylor Embree on Luke Stillwell:
“With Luke, he has the opportunity to be a big mismatch in the pass game. Luke looks like a real, big solid athlete. He’s got a big frame and he’s starting to catch the ball really well. He’s doing some wrinkles in his routes that’s helping him get open and I think when he get rolling, he’ll be a mismatch for the defense.”
Taylor Embree on Matt Lynch:
“I wish I had the opportunity to work with Matt for a few years. He is a good, solid tight end in both the run and pass game. He’s got a lot of length. We’re happy to have him and he’s going to be playing a lot for us this year. He shows up and works — he’s a blue collar guy, he’s strong at point of attack and he’s got some juice in the pass game."
"My relationship with him goes back to high school. I helped recruit him to UCLA when I was a graduate assistant there, so it’s cool seeing it come full circle. He’s a high-IQ guy when it comes to football and in school, but it’s been a blessing to get Matt and I think he’s going to make some plays for us."
