The Wild Card of WVU's Offense: Breaking Down the Tight Ends

Tight ends were virtually non-existent during the 2010s, but over the last handful of years, they have become more pivotal to offenses across the country, and that will certainly be the case at West Virginia under Rich Rodriguez.

Someone will be named the "starter," but I truly believe we will see each of the top three guys share an equal workload, that is, until one of them separates from the pack.

Let's get to know the pass-catching blockers on WVU's roster.

Projected depth chart

Tight ends coach — Michael Nysewander (2nd year)

JR Ryan Ward (6'4", 248 lbs) — Rutherford, NJ
R-Sr. Josh Sapp (6'2", 238 lbs) — Greenville, SC
R-Sr. Cam Ball (6'7", 240 lbs) — Glen Dale, MD
JR (FB) Kayden Luke (5'11", 250 lbs) — Catalina, AZ
FR Sam Hamilton (6'4", 246 lbs) — Cincinnati, OH
FR Kade Bush (6'4", 226 lbs) — Chanhassen, MN
R-FR Carter Zuliani (6'6", 261 lbs) — Bridgeport, WV
FR Xavier Anderson (6'6", 215 lbs) — Martinsburg, WV

Ryan Ward

Ward is the only player with in-game experience in this system who is back from the 2025 season. Carter Zuliani is the only other returning player, but we'll get to him in a moment. In 12 games last fall, Ward caught just six passes for 41 yards and was docked for just one drop. He may be the "vet" in the room, but he has a long way to go before we can consider him a polished product. Catching the ball shouldn't be much of a problem for him. It's more about being more effective as a blocker. In a recent roster update, he was listed at 248 lbs, which is +8 from a year ago. That should help him be better in the run game, where he had some troubles as a sophomore.

Josh Sapp

Sapp, in a lot of ways, is an older version of Ryan Ward, just two inches shorter. He's got more of a wide receiver build, and because of it, he has some difficulty in the trenches. He is a willing blocker, but he has to be sharp on his technique to make up for the size disadvantage. Sapp is probably the most athletic player in this room and certainly the fastest. If he can hold his own as a blocker, he will see a ton of snaps this season and could be the leading receiver of this room. In four years at Clemson, Sapp hauled in 24 receptions for 273 yards and four touchdowns. His father, Patrick Sapp, played in the NFL for the Chargers and Cardinals.

Cam Ball

Ball has been around the block, although he doesn't have a ton of in-game experience. As a matter of fact, he has only played 509 snaps in his four seasons, split between Buffalo and Mississippi State, averaging 127.2 snaps per year, which is roughly 10 per game. Most probably view him as the third guy on the depth chart, and it's hard to argue against that, but he could very well end up playing just as much as the two guys listed in front of him. He had a very strong spring and developed a great connection with QB Mike Hawkins. At 6'7", he is an obvious red zone target and can be a matchup nightmare in those situations. Pretty much everything that was thrown up to him during the spring, he came down with.

The next Runaway Beer Truck?

Kayden Luke — WVU Athletics Communications

Since there is really only one true fullback on the roster, we're going to include Luke in this. He could line up at tight end some, too. Obviously, there is only one Owen Schmitt, but Luke brings a lot of what Big O did to this offense — toughness, physicality, and a blue-collar work ethic. His care level is through the roof, and it won't take long for you to realize how much he enjoys the game and getting after people. I wouldn't expect Luke to tote the rock nearly as much as Schmitt did, but he will get a few touches for sure. At Arizona, he was only used in pass protection once. I would expect that to be a similar setup at WVU, being primarily used in the run game.

The young bucks

Sam Hamilton

Other offers: Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Duke, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kent State, Kentucky, Liberty, Miami (OH), Toledo, UMass, Washington.

From a physicality standpoint, Hamilton is by far the most game-ready of the trio of freshmen. He needs to be more of a threat in the passing game, and that will come with time. Rodriguez will likely rotate the top three guys early in the year, but don't be surprised to see Hamilton work his way into the rotation later in the season.

Kade Bush

Other offers: Arkansas, Kansas State, North Dakota State, Utah State, Washington State, Wyoming.

Bush turned some heads during the spring, making some nice plays here and there. He is up to 226 lbs, so he is inching closer to where he needs to ultimately be (230+). He could play some special teams and become TE4 by season's end.

Xavier Anderson

Other offers: Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Liberty, Marshall, Morgan State, Virginia Tech, Western Michigan.

Anderson is the younger brother of WVU walk-on quarterback Max Anderson. Xavier is an intriguing talent who needs a few years of developing in the weight room before getting a crack at seeing the field in meaningful snaps.

Carter Zuliani

The Bridgeport, WV native walked on to WVU initially as a defensive lineman before flipping over to tight end. He did not see any game action as a freshman and will likely spend this fall on the scout team.

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