South Carolina’s tight end room could look a lot different under Kendal Briles.
Last season, the Gamecocks’ tight ends were barely a blip in the passing game, combining for just 35 catches out of 209 team completions. That kind of usage is unlikely to hold if Briles’ offense takes root the way USC expects. At TCU, where Briles served as offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, tight ends averaged 52.6 catches a year, and they reached 68 in 2023.
The tempo is part of the shift, too. Assistant coach Shawn Elliott said the position will have to think fast and move even faster in Briles’ system.
“We are not told in a lot of formations where to go. We are play-specific and get to line up and do a lot of adjusting based on what we are doing and running,” Elliott said July 30 while speaking at the Birdies With Beamer media golf event.
“You’ve got to be intelligent and know where to line up in a heartbeat. It is not like we are being told every single down where to go.
… The tight end position is really critical for this offense to go really fast and furious.”
At the top of the depth chart, Brady Hunt looks ready for a bigger stage. The Ball State transfer led USC tight ends with 21 catches for 168 yards last season, and as a sixth-year player, he brings the kind of experience that usually earns a starting job right out of the gate. Elliott also pointed to Hunt’s reliability as a receiver and his value in every phase of the position.
“He is a commitment guy. He is committed to our team and committed to winning,” Elliott said.
“He has the best hands on our team and understands concepts in pass protection, run blocking. He isn’t a player that just wants to play.
He wants to win.”
Behind Hunt, the competition for the No. 2 spot is still taking shape. Senior Mo Brown and sophomore Mike Tyler are both in the mix, and each brings something different.
Brown has made his mark on special teams, where he was the team’s Co-MVP last season. He has only three career catches for 25 yards and a touchdown, but Elliott believes this could be the year Brown becomes a more visible part of the offense.
“Mo has made a name for himself on special teams; it is time for him to make a name on the offensive side,” Elliott said. “Mo had the best spring of his life and is in good shape physically. He is powerful, and I love the ball in his hands because he is so explosive and hard to tackle.”
Tyler, a Columbia-area product from Hammond School, appeared in 11 games as a freshman and was voted the team’s Most Improved Player of the Spring on offense. At 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, he has the kind of frame that can turn heads, and Elliott said the next stretch of games will matter for his growth.
“Mike is a guy who is emerging right here,” Elliott said. “He had a good spring, has some confidence and these first couple games are going to be critical for his development.”
There is also Max Drag, a former Chapin High standout who has been at Appalachian State and Central Florida before coming back home for his senior season. He remains another option in a room that could see a lot more action than it did a year ago.
One newcomer has already drawn attention, even if he is still catching up. Caden Ramsey, a freshman from Class A Cross High School in the Lowcountry, did not get to campus until this summer and is still adjusting to the speed and physical demands of the college game. His high school résumé was impressive on both sides of the ball: 115 catches for 1,903 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Elliott said the challenge for Ramsey is straightforward.
“You can say he is raw, but he runs better than anyone in our group,” Elliott said. “He has tremendous hands.
He just has to get bigger and stronger. He is learning the ropes and is adjusting.”
For South Carolina, the big question is no longer whether the tight ends will matter. It is which ones will carve out the biggest roles once Briles starts pushing the offense faster and asking more from everyone in the room.
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