Ranking College Football’s Best Returning Tight Ends in 2026

Tight ends have never been more central to what good offenses look like, and the 2026 returning class makes that case better than any position ranking could.

Trey'Dez Green spent last winter playing basketball for LSU before committing fully to football this spring. DJ Vonnahme was buried on Iowa's depth chart when the season started and ended the year with the second-most receiving yards by a tight end in program history. Those two stories alone tell you what kind of list this is.

The backgrounds here are as varied as the production. Walk-ons and five-star recruits. Portal travelers and program lifers. A player from London who learned the game through a youth initiative started by an NFL franchise.

What connects them is that defenses have to account for every single one of them, and in 2026, that problem only gets harder.

More returning college football position rankings
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | EDGE | DT | LB | CB | S | ST

Honorable Mentions

Lawson Luckie, Georgia Bulldogs

Senior in 2026; 6'4", 240 lbs.

2025: 15 rec, 158 yds, 4 TDs

Georgia Bulldogs tight end Lawson Luckie (7) celebrates after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2025 SEC Championship game. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The numbers are modest. The context is not.

Luckie caught all four of his touchdowns in high-leverage moments for a Georgia program that has built one of the most decorated tight end pipelines in college football. He scored three times against Ole Miss, becoming the first Georgia tight end since 1942 to catch three touchdown passes in a single game, and added a score in the SEC Championship against Alabama. He enters his senior year as the most experienced player in a tight end room that Georgia's own coaching staff has called potentially the scariest they've had in years.

A four-star recruit out of Norcross, Georgia, Luckie is a blocker first whose nose for the end zone has made him a trusted option when it matters most. Whether the targets expand in his final season will determine how this one reads come December.

Jelani Thurman, North Carolina Tar Heels

Redshirt junior in 2026; 6'6", 250 lbs.

2025: 7 rec, 84 yds, 1 TD (at Ohio State)

Three years at Ohio State produced 11 career catches behind a loaded depth chart. At North Carolina, he finally gets to find out what he can do as the focal point.

Thurman was the fourth-ranked tight end in the 2022 recruiting class and a four-star prospect out of Langston Hughes High School in Georgia, where he led his team to a 15-0 record and a 6A state title. His pedigree has never been in question. His parents are Odell Thurman, who played in the NFL, and Kara Braxton, a two-time WNBA champion. At 6'6" and 250 pounds, he's the kind of blocker who creates displacement in the run game and a mismatch as a receiver. Bobby Petrino's offense in Chapel Hill should give him room to show both.

Decker DeGraaf, Washington Huskies

Junior in 2026; 6'4", 249 lbs.

2025: 32 rec, 360 yds, 2 TDs

Washington Huskies tight end Decker DeGraaf (86) celebrates after a touchdown catch against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Two seasons in and DeGraaf has played in all 26 Washington games since arriving from San Dimas, California, a streak that says something about both his durability and how quickly the Huskies came to rely on him.

His 47 career catches for 593 yards put him among the more productive young tight ends in the Big Ten, but the coaching staff believes the numbers have barely scratched the surface. Position coach Jordan Paopao has pointed to contested catches and a handful of drops as the difference between good and something considerably better. The Huskies also want him becoming an elite blocker, and DeGraaf has made no secret of the fact that he wants that too.

Entering his junior year with a Freshman All-American nod already on his resume, the foundation is there. Now comes the part where he makes defenses actually worried about him.

Top 10 returning college football tight ends for 2026

10. Benjamin Brahmer, Penn State Nittany Lions

Senior in 2026; 6'7", 252 lbs.

2025: 37 rec, 446 yds, 6 TDs (at Iowa State)

Former Iowa State Cyclones tight end Benjamin Brahmer (18) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Brahmer followed head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser from Ames to State College, and Penn State is getting one of the most productive tight ends in the Big 12 over the past three seasons.

The Pierce, Nebraska native earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors at Iowa State after catching 37 passes for 446 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. His size alone creates problems, and Mouser has been explicit about why: at 6'7", Brahmer can line up as a wideout, an inline tight end, or anything in between, forcing defenses into uncomfortable personnel decisions before the snap. He completed a 45-yard pass on a trick play last season, adding another dimension to an already versatile profile.

Now stepping into a Penn State program with a deep history of NFL tight ends, Brahmer arrives with something to prove on a bigger stage.

9. Peter Clarke, Temple Owls

Senior in 2026; 6'6", 265 lbs.

2025: 30 rec, 483 yds, 6 TDs

Clarke's path to this list starts in London, England, where he learned football through a Jacksonville Jaguars youth initiative before joining the NFL Academy as a teenager.

He arrived at Temple in 2023 as a raw prospect buried on the depth chart, spent his freshman year learning behind veteran tight ends, then missed most of 2024 with a hand injury. None of that showed up in 2025. Clarke finished with 30 catches for 483 yards and six touchdowns, the most touchdown catches by a Temple tight end in years. His career-long 50-yard reception came against Tulsa, and he posted a season-high 85 yards against UMass while earning second-team All-American Conference honors from multiple outlets.

At 6'6" and 265 pounds, Clarke is one of the most physically imposing tight ends in the Group of Five. He also runs a youth sports camp in London during the offseason, working to grow the game in the community that gave it to him.

8. Jeremiah Hasley, Duke Blue Devils

Redshirt Senior in 2026; 6'3", 245 lbs.

2025: 40 rec, 454 yds, 6 TDs

Duke Blue Devils tight end Jeremiah Hasley (85) catches a pass during the game against the Clemson Tigers. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hasley has quietly become one of the most productive tight ends in the ACC, and his biggest moment came on the biggest stage.

The Gibsonia, Pennsylvania native earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors after leading Duke in receiving yards among tight ends with 40 catches for 454 yards and six touchdowns. His six TD grabs tied for third most by a Blue Devil tight end in a single season, and he enters 2026 just four away from the program's all-time record at the position. He snapped at least one pass in each of Duke's final four games and saved his best for the ACC Championship, catching two touchdowns against Virginia including the game-winner on fourth-and-one in overtime.

A two-time Academic All-ACC selection who transitioned from linebacker to tight end during the fall of 2023, Hasley's path to this point has been anything but conventional. With 517 career receiving yards and eight touchdown catches already banked, his final season in Durham sets up as the most productive of his career.

7. Garrett Oakley, Kansas State Wildcats

Senior in 2026; 6'5", 245 lbs.

2025: 38 rec, 389 yds, 6 TDs

Kansas State Wildcats tight end Garrett Oakley (86) looks to the crowd to celebrate a touchdown in the third quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Oakley has been one of the most reliable tight ends in the Big 12 for three seasons running, and his senior year figures to be his best.

The Columbus, Nebraska native enters 2026 as Kansas State's career receiving touchdowns leader among tight ends with 13, also ranking fourth in program history in career receptions at the position. His six touchdowns last season tied for the most among tight ends in the conference and tied the school single-season record. He delivered a two-touchdown game against TCU that included a season-high 71-yard reception, and posted five-plus catches against both Iowa State and Texas Tech. He has earned All-Big 12 recognition in each of the last two seasons.

A finance major who plays with a physicality that reflects his Nebraska upbringing, Oakley is one of the few true two-way tight ends remaining in college football. His blocking has drawn consistent praise from Kansas State's coaching staff, and his red-zone reliability has made him one of Avery Johnson's most trusted weapons year after year.

6. Dylan Wade, UCF Knights

Senior in 2026; 6'2", 240 lbs.

2025: 43 rec, 523 yds, 5 TDs

UCF Knights tight end Dylan Wade (0) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Houston Cougars. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Wade came home to Orlando and promptly rewrote the record book.

The Orlando native transferred from Maryland and set UCF's single-season records for receptions, yards and touchdowns by a tight end in program history, dating back to 1996. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention and saved his best football for the stretch run, scoring four of his five touchdowns in the final three games including a career-high 120 yards on four catches against Oklahoma State.

This spring the focus has shifted to run blocking, where his grades lagged behind his receiving production last season. New position coach Cooper Bassett, who spent nine years coaching offensive linemen, has made that a priority. Wade has the receiving ability to be one of the best tight ends in the Big 12. Whether he can become a complete player is the question 2026 will answer.

5. Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech Red Raiders

Senior in 2026; 6'2", 245 lbs.

2025: 52 rec, 602 yds, 5 TDs

Texas Tech Red Raiders tight end Terrance Carter Jr. (7) runs with the ball. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Carter arrived via transfer from Louisiana and wasted no time becoming one of the most productive tight ends in the Big 12.

The Killeen, Texas native set Texas Tech records for receptions and receiving yards by a tight end in a single season in 2025, finishing with 52 catches for 602 yards and five touchdowns across 12 games. He ranked second in the Big 12 in receptions among tight ends and posted nine receptions for 100 yards against Oregon State, one of the standout individual performances by a tight end in the conference all year. He also dealt with a lower-body injury in the Arizona game and gutted through it.

Now entering his senior year as one of the most experienced weapons in the Red Raiders' offense, Carter is a mismatch in space whose production has only grown each season he has played.

4. Kaelan Chudzinski, Boston College Eagles

Sophomore in 2026; 6'3", 240 lbs.

2025: 24 rec, 313 yds, 4 TDs

Boston College Eagles tight end Kaelan Chudzinski (85) warms up before a game against the California Golden Bears. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Not many freshmen make an immediate impact on a 2-10 team. Chudzinski did it while leading all freshman tight ends in the country in receptions and yards at the end of the regular season.

The Needham, Massachusetts native joined the program mid-year as one of the top 15 recruits in the state and quickly earned a starting role. His 24 catches for 313 yards and four touchdowns garnered 2025 All-Freshman Team recognition from On3, PFF and The Athletic. His best stretch came late, with career highs in catches and yards against Louisville before adding a 41-yard reception at Syracuse to close the year.

The ceiling here is the story. His run-blocking grades as a freshman ranked among the best in the country at his position, a skill set that typically takes years to develop. With a year of experience now in the books, Chudzinski enters 2026 as one of the more intriguing young tight ends in the ACC.

3. DJ Vonnahme, Iowa Hawkeyes

Sophomore in 2026; 6'4", 240 lbs.

2025: 29 rec, 434 yds, 3 TDs

Iowa Hawkeyes tight end DJ Vonnahme (81) catches a pass against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

He was buried on the depth chart when the season started. Then Addison Ostrenga tore his Achilles in Week 2, and Vonnahme took over and never looked back.

The Breda, Iowa native walked on at Iowa out of Carroll Kuemper High School, where he played quarterback, wide receiver and safety. That versatility shows up in how naturally he processes coverages and finds soft spots in zone, something 1988 All-American Marv Cook compared to TJ Hockenson after watching him torch Vanderbilt for seven catches and 146 yards in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the second-most receiving yards by a tight end in program history.

CBS Sports has already floated him as a candidate to become the first Hawkeye to crack 700 receiving yards since Hockenson in 2018. For a former walk-on finishing his freshman season with AP All-Bowl Team honors, that projection doesn't feel far-fetched.

2. Jamari Johnson, Oregon Ducks

Redshirt junior in 2026; 6'5", 257 lbs.

2025: 32 receptions, 510 yards, 3 TDs

Oregon Ducks tight end Jamari Johnson (9) celebrates after a touchdown during the first quarter against the James Madison Dukes. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Johnson spent last season learning behind Kenyon Sadiq, one of the best tight ends in program history. That apprenticeship is over.

The Inglewood, California native transferred from Louisville and stepped into a supporting role behind Kenyon Sadiq, finishing sixth in Oregon history in receiving yards by a tight end in a single season despite sharing a loaded offense. He caught at least one pass in each of Oregon's final 14 games, saved two of his three touchdowns for the College Football Playoff, and made the biggest catch of Oregon's postseason run, a two-yard score in double overtime against Penn State that kept the Ducks alive.

Dan Lanning said Johnson's command of the offense is "night and day" from when he arrived, and that he's become a player who coaches others through assignments on the fly. With Sadiq gone to the NFL and Dante Moore back at quarterback, Johnson steps into the featured role in an offense built to create mismatches for athletic tight ends.

1. Trey'Dez Green, LSU Tigers

20-year-old junior in 2026; 6'7", 240 lbs.

2025 stats: 33 receptions, 433 yards, 7 TDs

LSU Tigers tight end Trey'Dez Green (14) during warmups before the game against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Green spent two seasons being underused relative to his talent. That changes in 2026.

The Jackson, Louisiana native was a four-star recruit and the top tight end prospect in the state, and the physical tools that made him that have only become more apparent in college. His seven receiving touchdowns last season set the LSU single-season record for a tight end, breaking a mark that stood since 2009. He averaged a career-high 13.1 yards per catch and piled up 176 yards after contact, all while playing in just 11 games.

Now Lane Kiffin arrives in Baton Rouge with Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt penciled in at quarterback, and Green has made his intentions clear: he wants to be the go-to guy in this offense. Kiffin's system is designed to move tight ends into the slot and split them wide, which plays directly into what Green does best. At 6'7" with the athleticism of a former basketball standout, he is a matchup problem that most defenses simply cannot solve.

Add us as a preferred source on Google