It’s been a while since the Kansas University football program had a tight end that put fear into opponents and made plays all over the field.
Jimmay Mundine, who last played in 2014, certainly had his moments and improved a great deal from the beginning of his career to the end. But Mundine battled through some tough times in the middle of his career, some of it his fault and some of it the fault of the KU quarterbacks and offensive line.
It’s possible, however, that the Jayhawks could be entering a terrific time for the tight end. And that’s because of the presence of junior-to-be Ben Johnson (6-5, 245) and red-shirt freshman Jace Sternberger (6-4, 236).
Though slightly different in terms of individual strengths and weaknesses, these two tight ends are exactly the same in one key area — toughness.
In Johnson, KU has a bona fide weapon that seems to be quietly bursting at the seams while waiting to break out. From the day he stepped on campus to today, Johnson showed flashes of big time ability, running crisp routes, catching most everything thrown near him and playing with poise and confidence down in and down out. The thing holding him back thus far has been opportunity and injuries.
Though none of Johnson’s injuries — including the one he dealt with this spring — have been major, they have been nagging enough to keep him from planting himself firmly at the top of the depth chart. As for the opportunity, playing behind Mundine and alongside former Florida transfer Kent Taylor put Johnson in the role of young player learning the ropes instead of lead dog chasing the stats.
But he never flinched and took every opportunity to learn from both players while working on both his body and his game the entire time.
Some within the program have talked about Johnson as one of KU’s most legitimate pro prospects, though he certainly will have to have his best and most productive years in 2016 and 2017 to make that dream a reality.
As for Sternberger, he’s the kind of player who appears to be ready for a massive leap, as well.
While red-shirting last season, Sternberger added significant size and strength to his 6-foot-4 frame and, as a result, should have a significant role in this year’s offense.
Throughout spring practies and scrimmages, Sternberger never strayed far from David Beaty’s side and was used in a variety of ways in Beaty’s new offense, both as a pass catcher and a blocker.
He’s big, physical, runs like a horse and is as competitive as any player on the team. Beyond that, he’s hungry. After sitting out last season and getting to do nothing but practice, the Kingfisher, Oklahoma, native who also played defensive end in high school appears poised for a real role and has proven to be a player who can be counted on to deliver. Now, we just have to see if those traits transfer to Saturdays.
Both Johnson and Sternberger are sort of hybrid, modern day tight ends that can do a variety of things offensively and can find and create some mismatches issues in opposing secondaries.
By NFL comparisons, think Greg Olsen and Delanie Walker instead of Antonio Gates and Jason Witten.
The key for the continued development and Saturday showcasing of these tight ends — as with everything KU football related right now — will be how well the offensive line holds up so that Johnson, Sternberger, the KU wideouts and the KU QB can actually take advantage of some of these strengths and skills and start making other teams pay.