Arizona’s tight end room is leaning into the bruising part of the job, and position coach Josh Miller likes exactly what he’s seeing.
The group has spent training camp working to become more than just a collection of big bodies. They’re being asked to handle the full tight end package - block with force, move with purpose and create separation in the passing game - and Miller says the physical edge is already showing up.
“I’ve been very pleased with their growth, they’ve all leaned into the physicality needed to be successful,” he said. “Obviously, we can clean up on you know some of our tracks and some of our hand placements in the run game, but none of them are scared and they’re going to be violent, and I’ve been super proud of them for choosing violence most of the practices.”
For now, the biggest emphasis is on being dominant in the run game. After that, the room can sort out who stands out as a receiver, and Illinois transfer Cole Rusk has already made his case there. Miller sees a tight end who can do more than just catch the ball.
“He’s got great body control, great feel for space, he knows how to separate to create lanes we know to throw in,” said Miller. “I’ve been really pleased with what he’s been doing in the run game, and so I think he can be a complete tight end.”
The starting job is still unsettled, but Tyler Powell is back in the mix after a long road back from injury. Powell’s season ended on the first play of last year’s opener against Hawaii, when he got hurt immediately and never got the chance to play through the year. He said the rehab process has gone smoothly, and he’s now fully cleared.
“I think my recovery has been super smooth all the way through, I just got cleared the other day fully to be fully back and doing everything,” he said. “I think it’s just been a steady process of rehabbing right after the injury happened, and then getting back into the football skills as I got further along in my recovery.”
Powell and Rusk have become the older voices in a young room, and sophomore Southern Miss transfer Shane King has been soaking it in. He says the competition and the teaching have both pushed him forward.
“I have two other guys above me, so I’m just learning from them and they’re teaching me everything,” said King. “I’m teaching them stuff as well, like just route running and stuff, and then they’re teaching me the blocking game and just becoming smarter as a player has been really good.”
King’s size and athleticism jump out right away. At 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds, he doesn’t look like a typical sophomore, and Powell said the talent is obvious.
“I think Shane’s an outstanding player,” said Powell. “I think he’s one of the most athletic tight ends in the room, and I think he does some things in the pass game that I would love to learn from. I think he’s going to be an outstanding player.”
Rusk and Powell are the likeliest names to lead Arizona’s tight ends this season, but Miller says their approach has helped the whole room. The veterans have taken charge without shutting anyone out, and that has helped build the kind of chemistry the staff wants.
“I’m super proud of how they’ve kind of taken the bull by the horns and led those guys,” said Miller. “They facilitated a lot of positive relationships with the young guys.
I think they know some of the things that the young guys are doing now at a young age, they weren’t doing when they first got to college football. So it’s good for them to kind of be the good cop to coach Miller’s bad cop on certain days.”
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