Don't Forget Wisconsin's Standout Tight Ends of the 2010s
The Big Ten Network continued to release its All-Decade team selections on Wednesday. Michigan standout Jake Butt was named as the lone tight end to the list, while it was also announced that Iowa's T.J. Hockenson received a second-team nod by its group of voters.
Those two are certainly deserving of the nods. Just look at Butt's achievements as a Wolverine where he claimed multiple All-America nods by various publications, the 2016 John Mackey award and the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten tight end of the year honor twice.
Like Butt, Hockenson also claimed the Mackey award, numerous All-America accolades and the conference's tight end of the year distinction in his dominant 2018 performance.For that matter, another former Hawkeye in Noah Fant could have also be worthy of this team.
At Wisconsin, the 12, 13, 22 and 23 personnels allow tight ends to thrive under the tutelage of Paul Chryst -- both as head coach from 2015 to the present and previously as the offensive coordinator at the beginning of the decade from 2010-11.
As BTN unveils its All-Decade team, let's not forget some of the standout tight ends for Wisconsin from the past 10 years.
Lance Kendricks
UW's fact book calls out the various accolades for the current NFL veteran. He claimed first-team All-America honors by three publications in 2010 (the American Football Coaches Association, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News). A consensus first-team all-conference pick that season, he caught 43 passes for 663 yards and five receiving touchdowns. He ranked first on the team in all three categories.
In his UW career, he caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards.
Jake Pedersen
UWBadgers.com's profile of the Menominee, Mich., native shows a tight end who reeled in 104 catches for 1,394 yards and 17 touchdowns between 2010-13.
During his time on the field as a Badger, he also was named the 2012 Kwalick-Clark Big Ten tight end of the year and received a first-team all-conference selection by the conference's coaches. During that season, he caught 27 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns.
Pedersen was named a John Mackey Award watch list candidate heading into the 2013 season, one where he posted career highs in receptions (39) and receiving yards (551).
Perhaps what makes Pedersen's career so unique is that he played for three different offensive coordinators in Chryst, Matt Canada and Andy Ludwig.
Troy Fumagalli
The Illinois native walked on to the program and later solidified himself as one of the program's best at the position.
Like Butt, Hockenson and Pedersen, he claimed the Big Ten's tight end of the year award for his efforts during a 2017 season where he recorded 46 catches for 547 yards with four receiving touchdowns. His UWBadgers.com profile shows he also was a finalist for both the John Mackey Award and the Burlsworth Trophy on way to second-team All-America honors from the AFCA, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and Walter Camp.
During that year, he also became a first-team all-conference pick by the coaches.
Overall, Fumagalli played in 52 career games with 32 starts from 2014-17. His 135 career receptions for 1,627 yards place him seventh and 13th in school history in those respective categories.
Next up? Jake Ferguson.
The Madison (WI) Memorial product will enter his redshirt junior season with high expectations. Ferguson himself is versatile at the position, as he can play on the line with a hand in the ground, motion as an H-back and work out of the slot in 11 personnel.
During his redshirt freshman and sophomore years, he combined to catch 69 passes for 863 yards and six touchdowns.
In both of those seasons, Ferguson placed second on the team in receptions. Heading into this third year of contributing, and with Jonathan Taylor and Quintez Cephus entering the NFL Draft, his name could be called upon even further when the offense gets back on the field again.
