Spring Position Preview: Tight Ends

Position Overview

Key Departures:

NONE; for 2021, anyway. The team lost Jacob Kizer and Jack Yary before the abbreviated 2020 season began.

Spring Additions:

Former Inglemoor star Quentin Moore (a transfer from Independence Community College in Kansas), as well as Eatonville stud Caden Jumper are on campus in time for spring football.

Key Returners

Everybody. Yep, everyone who suited up in 2020:

The Rotation:

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Cade Otton (R-Sr, 6’5” 240 lbs)

Jack Westover (R-Jr, 6’3” 245 lbs)

Mark Redmond (R-Fr, 6’6” 245 lbs)

Cade Otton is the man. With the wide receiver position in flux, Otton is the team’s top weapon in the passing game. Dylan Morris loves to look for Otton, and he delivers. Solid hands, great routes, and some get-what-you-can ability after the catch.

Is he a good blocker? Yeah. He’s good at the LOS, and he can get downfield and make blocks. Cade Otton is an All-Pac 12 player, and we should all be excited to watch him show it again this fall.

Otton played 265 snaps in 2020; the next-highest total for a UW tight end was 115, by Jack Westover. It will be interesting to see whether it’s Westover, or RS-Fr Mark Redmond getting the most action as the #2 tight end this season. You can expect to see both guys, probably a lot. Westover was often used as a fullback, and has the experience and versatility. But Redmond is coming off a true freshman campaign where he played in every game, racking up 55 snaps being primarily used as a blocker.

The Wildcard:

Devin Culp (R-Jr, 6’3” 245 lbs)

Photo by Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Oh, how we all want to see Devin Culp emerge. You just get these little glimpses. He can dominate his man in the run game, he can get out and run with the football after the catch, and as primarily a wide receiver in high school, Culp has great potential as a big receiving target.

But so far at UW, he has been used as a blocker. Last season was cut (extra) short for Culp as he appeared in only two games, and was deployed as a blocker on over 80% of his opportunities.

Who’s else?

Mason West (R-Fr, 6’4” 225 lbs)

Quentin Moore (R-So, 6’5” 245 lbs)

Caden Jumper (Fr, 6’3” 250 lbs)

These three scholarship tight ends factor into the equation as well. Mason West didn’t see any action as a true freshman a year ago, but is another guy of similar size with a solid blocking outlook. Quentin Moore comes in via the JC transfer route, where he was rated the #1 tight end among all JC players. Moore’s stats were modest (just 65 yards receiving over six games) at Independence Community College in Kansas. This tells you he has the physical tools to block effectively at the Power 5 level, being that highly rated without making any noise as a pass-catcher.

Caden Jumper could, well, jump right in and be a factor. Jimmy Lake made a very favorable comparison when talking about the true freshman from Eatonville:

“So excited about Caden. Talking about tough, physical football players, this is a great transition. This guy is one of the tougher guys I’ve seen on film. What you guys should think about is Will Dissly. That’s Caden Jumper.”

I’ll take a Will Dissly clone, any day of the week. Yep, another blocking tight end possessing the skills to everything. Jumper has a great chance to be a star. He is a rumbling, elusive runner that will make guys fall to the ground after the catch. He was a QB in high school, but mainly featured as more of a wildcat running back.

Out of nowhere?

Zeke Pelluer (R-So, 6’4” 255 lbs)

Carson Smith (R-So, 6’4” 250 lbs)

Looking for a couple more guys to hang around the program and look good doing it at 6’4” and 250 pounds? These two are not on scholarship, but there always seems to be a guy like this who emerges and finds himself too good a player to be left off the field. Like Westover in 2019, don’t be shocked if the tight end position is filled on occasion by a guy you don’t recognize.