Freddie Whittingham 'feels great' about Utah's tight end depth heading into the season

While the Utes have two of the best tight ends in the country in their arsenal, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham is also confident in the groups depth as well.

Question: We know what Dalton and Brant can do. But how do you feel about your depth behind those guys? Who is kind of emerging and how's that shaking out so far? 

Freddie Whittingham: "Yeah, we brought in Logan Kendall, who is a grad transfer from Idaho. You're gonna see him as a line of scrimmage tight end. He's a big physical guy, a blocker, so we can still get into those 13 personnel groups. He will do kind of what Cole Fotheringham did for us last year, he can also play some fullback for us. Thomas Yassmin is also another, you know, tight end that I feel great about. He's big, athletic, can run, he can do it all. He can run block and pass protect, he can run routes. And then Munir McClain has also moved to tight end and he is kind of more in the mold, pass catching tight end. Very athletic, he can run. He's got really soft hands. So I feel great about the depth going into this fall."

Question: Brant's obviously been moved around a lot, you know, lining up at the slot, lining up in receiver roles. What are you seeing from him that maybe has changed this year? Or have things changed in how you guys are utilizing him?

Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports.

Freddie Whittingham: "I think we're going to use him in even more of a hybrid role. I think he's going to be lining up all over the field. And we're going to just play to his strengths, which is as you know, he's somebody that when you get the ball in his hands, he's good with the yards after catch. He can also block, he can really, you know, do it all. So we're just going to keep defenses guessing in terms of where we put him, how we line him up, how we get the ball in his hands. And the other thing that I think has really emerged with Brant this year is that his leadership been tremendous. Ever since he made the decision to forego the draft, come back and play one more year, I've really seen him step up his vocal leadership, setting the tone setting as an example. You know, the strength and conditioning staff said he was one of the biggest leaders in the summer program. So really happy to see Brant you know, step that roll up as well. And I just see us, you know, utilizing them as we have in the past, maybe even more so in terms of moving around to different spots."

Question: What is it about Munir McClain that makes him a good tight end? Obviously he was a wide receiver, you guys are moving them over, What about him? His body? His game do you believe translates?

Freddie Whittingham: "Well, first of all, he's got a big body. He's six-two and a half with a really long wingspan. He's over 230 pounds now. And so you know, the way we use tight ends, and we have that second tight end, that move tight end, sometimes there'll be the third tight end, and that they are heavily involved in the throw game. So again, it's kind of a hybrid between a slot receiver and a tight end. And so that's really how we see utilizing him. He's coming along with his run blocking, it was new to him. And he's still you know, has a ways to go with his development there. But we just think that he's got the frame and the overall ability and size to, you know, mold into that position as the best place for him for his future to because the NFL is looking for speed tight ends and I believe that you know, he's coming along really, really well. And we're happy with the movement, and he's happy with the move. So that was the idea behind that."

Question: Is the transfer portal a good tool for the tight end position since that's a more difficult position to play coming out of high school?

Freddie Whittingham: "It is difficult to evaluate tight ends coming out of high school. How much weight they're going to be able to put on because yeah, we want to look for those athletic guys and a lot of times in high school, that's the boundary receiver that six-four, six-five, And maybe 195, 200 pounds, and we're wondering can they get up to 240? Can they be physical as a line of scrimmage tight end? And so it is a difficult position to evaluate coming out of high school, and then you've got you know, the opportunity to see what guys have done in college, you know, to develop their body. You can see where they're at, and also the fact that we utilize the tight end heavily in this offense appeals to tight ends and maybe in an offense where they don't get utilized as much. So it's a recruiting pitch there too, that you come here, you're gonna you're gonna be targeted a lot more in the throw game as well."

Question: Could you describe the development and growth in Dalton Kincaid that you've seen in the time that he's arrived on campus to where he is right now?

Dalton Kincaid, Utah — Courtesy of Utah Athletics.

Freddie Whittingham: "Yeah, first of all, talk about physical development. You know, he showed up, he was just a little bit over 220 pounds, he's 245 pounds now. Being in our program with our strength and conditioning and nutrition programs, he's been able to put on really solid weight, he's now the size of an NFL tight end. With that, he's kept all the athleticism, all the speed. He came to us blessed with really good ball skills, really good hands, that's nothing that you don't already know but he's gotten better there. And he's another one that's emerged as a big time leader on the team. He's sets the tone, he practices hard. And, you know, the last thing I'd say about him is that he's become a really efficient blocker. You know, we watched his film out at the University of San Diego that was kind of like our one area where we were like, okay Is he gonna get a line up and be a blocker? He's such a receiving tight end there. But he's really come along and I think he's become a very solid blocker as well."

Question: With a guy like Logan, you said you'll obviously utilize him similar to how you did Cole Fotheringham but what's allowed you to kind of have confidence in him? What's what's kind of allowed him to shine in this this fall camp?

Freddie Whittingham: "First and foremost with Logan, you know, he will do anything you ask him to do, so he is paying attention in meetings. He's picking up the scheme. You ask him to do something and he's gonna work on it until it gets done the right way. So that's the number one thing, is that he's got that built in care factor. And then, you know, out on the field, he wants to be physical. He's a physical guy, so he's gonna finish plays. We've been working on technique, you know, maybe working with a little bit tighter bands on strikes, footwork, you know, not get getting his shoulders out in front of his feet, things like that. But the main thing with him is just he's got that attitude where he wants to do everything the way he's being asked to do it, and then do it with a big time motor. He's a guy that's going to get off the ball and finish to the echo of the whistle."

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