ASU Football: Can We Finally Believe in the Rebirth of the Tight End
Nowadays, the quickest way to age yourself in a conversation is to start reminiscing about the 'good old days' when Arizona State tight ends used to dominate opposing Pac-12 defenses. The days when ASU actually relied on players like Zach Miller, Todd Heap, and Chris Coyle to be a critical part of their offense.
But those days are long gone.
Since 2014, the Sun Devils haven't had their tight end group combine for more than 420 yards in a single season - let alone one player. Heap, Miller, and Coyle each have at least one season under their belts with a minimum of 420 yards receiving.
With new offensive coordinator Zak Hill taking over, there have been rumblings of a rebirth at the tight end position. Words that leave even the most optimistic Sun Devil fans hesitant.
It's like when you hear delusional Dallas Cowboys fans say, "it's our year."
It feels like every offseason, ASU has an extra emphasis on making tight ends more of a priority in their offense, just like Cowboys fans penciling their team in the pre-season Super Bowl every summer. But once the season starts, neither scenario seems to come into fruition.
But things could finally be different with Zak Hill.
As the mastermind behind the Boise State Broncos offense, Hill was not afraid of using multiple tight ends sets. He'll regularly run 12 personnel, which means one running back and two tight ends, and he'll even occasionally run three tight ends on the field at once.
And these tight ends are not coming in just to block. They are a huge part of the passing offense.
The last three seasons saw Boise State tight ends combine for 122 catches. For comparison's sake, the Sun Devils only managed 38 combined catches from their tight ends during the same time period.
The Sun Devils desperately need Hill to revitalize a position group that hasn't produced an NFL talent since Zach Miller was selected in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. ASU has been searching for that next player to immortalize alongside the rest of their legendary tight ends.
At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, sophomore Nolan Matthews is a physical and athletic freak who could be the answer to ASU's search.
After converting from wide receiver to tight end, his senior year of high school, Matthews started modeling his game after some of the best in the NFL to better understand the position.
Route-running patterned after Zach Ertz, running after the catch from Travis Kelce, and staying aggressive in the red zone from Rob Gronkowski.
We got to see flashes of Matthew's talent toward the end of his freshman season. Finishing the year with five of his six catches in the last six games, including a touchdown against UCLA.
It might not have been a ton of production, but it was at least a glimpse into the kind of dominating player Matthews can be.
He was aware of the lack of productivity from ASU tight ends in recent memory during recruitment. It's one of the reasons he chose the school - to leave a lasting legacy.
With Tommy Hudson now gone, the label as the "primary" tight end is up for grabs. Matthews is projected to get first crack at writing his Sun Devil legacy.
If Zak Hill can maximize the talents of Nolan Matthews, it will be hip once again to talk about ASU tight ends without being aged nearly 20 years.