BYU’s tight ends have been steady in 2024, look to contribute even more in October

BYU’s offensive coaches and analysts have been working diligently during this bye week to fine tune the offense a little bit, make a few tweaks here and there, and give some of the backups a few more reps than usual in practices.
They are also trying to figure out more ways to get their tight ends involved, because the talent-laden group is too deep and skilled to ignore.
“We want to make defenses have to respect every player on the field. We don’t want to have anybody out there where people say, ‘Don’t cover that guy, he never touches the ball,’” said offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick during preseason training camp. “And that doesn’t mean it is equal for everybody, but as long as we can make the other team honor all of our skill players, I think we can be a dangerous offense.”
New tights end coach Kevin Gilbride said last week that he’s pleased with the work his position group has done so far, but acknowledges there is room in this offense for more.
“The wins are one thing, but it is really the work toward the wins that is substantial and impactful,” Gilbride said. “I really like how our team is working and my position group, specifically.”
There are 11 guys in Gilbride’s tight ends room, an unusually high number. Part of the reason why is because players who were considered fullbacks or H-backs previously, guys such as seniors Mason Fakahua and Ray Paulo, are now called tight ends because BYU rarely uses those positions.
That’s kind of ironic, considering head coach Kalani Sitake was a fullback in his playing days at BYU. Paulo has seen a little bit of action, while Fakahua had to sit out the first four games of the season and was only eligible to play last week in the 34-28 win over Baylor.
That win pushed BYU’s record to 5-0, the eighth time in program history that BYU has been 5-0. The No. 17 Cougars play again Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. against Arizona — which hosts Texas Tech on Saturday.
As astounding 16 players have caught passes this year, but only three are tight ends: seniors Keanu Hill and Mata’ava Ta’ase and freshman Ryner Swanson. Jake Retzlaff has completed 90 passes and Gerry Bohanon has completed three, but only 14 of those completions have gone to tight ends.
Hill, the former receiver, has seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Swanson has four catches for 35 yards, while Ta’ase has three catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
“We need to be intentional about throwing him the football,” Roderick said of Ta’ase. “He’s a good receiver.”
Other tight ends on the roster include redshirt junior Ethan Erickson, redshirt sophomore Anthony Olsen, redshirt freshmen Jackson Bowers and Nason Coleman and freshmen Will Zundell and Noah Moeaki.
Before the Baylor game, Gilbride said the offense is still trying to reach its potential.
“I think we know how good we can be, and that is what we are really dialed in on. It is not, like, ‘Hey, what is the output that is happening right now?’ It is what it is going to be,” Gilbride said. “Are we happy with how things have gone? Yes. But if it stays where it is at for the rest of the season, we are not going to be happy with that. We need to continue to get better, and I think we will do that based on the approach that our players have, which is very much a growth mindset.”
Ta’ase said all the tight ends are learning a lot from Gilbride, who has had NFL experience with the New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.
“Coach Gilbride was in the NFL for a long time, and so having him come here to coach us has been great,” Ta’ase said. “That’s going to make us even better. … I was able to play with Isaac Rex last year and I was able to learn so much from him, and I look up to him in so many ways.”
One of Gilbride’s charges when he arrived in mid-January was to team with new offensive line coach TJ Woods and revive BYU’s stagnant rushing attack, which was woeful at times in 2023.
“We are (pleased) with what (the rushing attack) has done so far, but if we look back at the end of the season and we didn’t continue to improve, that is a disappointment for us,” Gilbride said. “I can’t speak for TJ, but I am pretty sure he would say the same thing. Where it is at right now can’t be where it finishes. … We want to be hitting at the utmost amount possible. Right now it is hit or miss.”
Gilbride said that BYU is so deep and talented at the wide receiver positions that sometimes it doesn’t make sense to play multiple tight ends and take some of that talent off the field.
“We have some really, really good football players at receiver, guys who block, and catch, and run great routes,” Gilbride said. “So you are always trying to play your best players. It is hard to take those guys off the field, too.”
Gilbride said he is happy with where Hill is at, and how he has transitioned from receiver to tight end. He said Hill continues to improve and get better at both blocking and running routes.
“He is continuing to grow in those areas to the point where we will have him in on more run plays,” Gilbride said. “Not that we didn’t trust him before, but there is such a limited opportunity that you want to make sure you have your guys that are the best at executing those particular assignments.”
Although he hasn’t caught a pass yet in 2024, Erickson has been a reliable blocker and special teams player, Gilbride said.
“We haven’t forgotten about what Ethan can do in the pass game, but we have other weapons in that area, too,” he said. “He has played a lot, and played well. He will continue to play a lot.”
There is naturally a lot of interest among BYU fans about the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Bowers, the former four-star recruit from the 2023 class who redshirted last year after a standout prep career in Mesa, Arizona.
Gilbride said Bowers’ progress was slowed by a pectoral muscle injury, but he’s healing up well and gets better every week.
“We have a deep room, so it is challenging to beat out a guy to get on the field,” Gilbride said. “That is really the reality of it. … You gotta beat someone out to get on the field. That’s how it should be. That’s how you want it to be. But it can be frustrating for those guys, for sure.”