Kansas football enjoying a terrific time for the tight end

By Matt Tait     Jun 28, 2016

Kansas tight end Ben Johnson turns to meet Iowa State defensive back Kamari Cotton-Moya after a catch in the second quarter.

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.

Kansas University tight end Jace Sternberger (19) pushes a defensive lineman away during practice on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, at Memorial Stadium.

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.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.