Towards the end of last season, it started to set in for the Kansas tight ends that they would have to face a season without Mason Fairchild.
“We started thinking about it more and more, where we’re not going to have Mason next year, and it got pretty important to us to retain a lot of the offense this year,” senior Trevor Kardell recalled recently, “and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far.”
For portions of five years across two coaching staffs, Fairchild was a reliable presence in the tight end room, and after breaking out midway through 2022 finished his career with 82 receptions for 1,111 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The three primary players tasked with replacing his production have all been in college for at least three seasons, but have combined for 68 catches, 896 yards and 14 touchdowns.
“Obviously we’re going to miss Mason,” said Jared Casey, the former walk-on fullback who is now KU’s most experienced tight end. “He’s one of our guys that’s been here since we first got here. But yeah, it’s going to be a big role for us to step into, and right now we’re all getting a lot of playing time, so it’s going really well and we’re all stepping into that role.”
The third principal piece besides Casey and Kardell is Iowa State transfer DeShawn Hanika, the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Topeka native who saw plenty of action for the Cyclones in 2022 but didn’t play last year and is now seeking a role closer to home.
“Very, very willing,” offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said of Hanika. “Very passionate about the game. Wants to be great, wants to be coached. Really one of those guys that he’s just so driven that sometimes he can be maybe a little bit harder on himself, and it’s harder on him than anybody else so far because he’s learning a new system. He’s going to do fine.”
Added Casey: “He’s an athletic guy. He’s really fast. He’s a really good addition to the room. He fits right in with us.”
Kansas redshirt senior DeShawn Hanika during the first day of spring practice at the practice field on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Lawrence.
Grimes, who is also the tight ends coach just like his predecessor Andy Kotelnicki — Kardell called that “an absolute plus” — said of the position group more broadly that it’s divided into more and less experienced groups, and even though the more experienced one features “some older guys, we don’t have all that much experience, actual playing experience.”
Another unavoidable fact about the frontrunners at the position is that Casey does not match the dimensions of a traditional tight end.
“I don’t know what you mean by that, his dimensions,” Grimes deadpanned in a recent meeting with reporters, before conceding with a smile that Casey’s listed height of 6 feet is “being generous.”
He’s already a fan of the onetime KU folk hero.
“I love this kid,” Grimes said. “What a great attitude. I honestly haven’t seen one thing from him yet that I wasn’t impressed with.”
Grimes acknowledged that Hanika or the 6-foot-5 Kardell might be the choice when you need someone “with his hand in the dirt on the line of scrimmage playing next to an offensive tackle; (they) also might be a little bit more comfortable split out as the single receiver into the boundary, if you’re looking for a one-on-one matchup right there.”
“But then there are some other really cool things that (Casey) does that none of those other guys can do — playing fullback, playing in wing alignments, and then (he’s) a really impressive athlete for a guy like that.”
Grimes said he had in fact used similar players at his previous stops at BYU and Baylor.
In a reciprocal fashion, Grimes’ own versatility is impressing Casey.
“He’s coached about everything in the past,” Casey said, “so it really helps seeing different perspectives, like techniques on the offensive line, techniques as tight ends, how to run routes.”
As everyone in the room is going to have to take on increased responsibility, for Kardell that means working on “being physical in the box.”
“You know, I got my long legs, I can run,” Kardell said. “It’s just, in the box, Mason was our big guy, take care of the D-line in the box, and so learning from him was an absolute blessing, having him in our room. But now (we’re) taking what he’s taught us and moving forward. Next step.”
Kansas tight end Jared Casey (47) is tackled in the end zone by Illinois defensive back Miles Scott (10) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, in Lawrence.
Iowa State’s DeShawn Hanika during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, in Ames, Iowa.
Kansas tight end Trevor Kardell (45) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 in Lawrence.
Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World
Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
AP Photo/Justin Hayworth
AP Photo/Colin E. Braley