The 2020 tight end class was absolutely loaded at the top with two five-stars in Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington and then Michael Mayer was also under serious five-star consideration right up until the end.
In that class, too, were players who left their region - or at least their state - to play college football as Gilbert, an early Georgia lean, ended up at LSU, Washington went from Las Vegas to Georgia and Mayer, from Park Hills (Ky.) Covington Catholic signed with Notre Dame.
To round out the top five, Canadian tight end Theo Johnson selected Penn State and Red Bank (N.J.) Red Bank Catholic’s Kevin Bauman is headed to Notre Dame as well.
That trend of tight ends leaving home to play college football could continue in the 2021 class and it could be a huge missed opportunity for one program in particular: Tennessee.
In a rare occurrence, the state of Tennessee boasts the top-two tight ends nationally in Savannah (Tenn.) Hardin County’s Hudson Wolfe and Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood’s Jake Briningstool, but he’s already committed to Clemson.
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It remains early in Wolfe’s recruitment and the Volunteers are definitely involved but it looks like Alabama and Ohio State could have a slight edge at this point.
Third on the tight end list is Council Bluffs (Iowa) Lewis Central’s Thomas Fidone, who might be the best match for staying local since Nebraska is one of his top programs. Lincoln is only an hour away. Iowa, Wisconsin and many others are involved with him as well.
Again, rounding out the top five are Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s Country Day Louis Hansen who is still early in his recruitment but Wisconsin could have the lead and then Henderson (Nev.) Liberty’s Moliki Matavao, who’s visiting Oregon, UCLA, Penn State, Georgia and Miami soon.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell if Tennessee can keep at least one of the star tight ends home in this 2021 class and whether he sees the same trend happening in 2021 as in 2020: That many of the elite tight ends leave their region to play college football?
"I see the same trend in 2021 as tight ends have kind of become like quarterbacks in that programs usually take one a year and those guys will go anywhere for the right fit. Washington went across the country and Gilbert spurned the Bulldogs for LSU. They want to go where they will be utilized.
"That doesn’t mean Tennessee has no shot at Wolfe or that every tight end will leave the state, but it does mean that more and more of them are moving around the country and that’s because of the offenses. But you could make a case that this has been happening for a long time with tight ends with prospects like O.J. Howard and Martellus Bennett being the exceptions over the years."
