Returning: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Zack Roski, Robert Schwob, Noah Barnes
Incoming: Tyler Mabry, Malik Jackson, Tyler Devera
Last season was no different from other recent years when it comes to production by Terps tight ends -- there wasn’t much of it. Then-freshman Chigoziem Okonkwo and since-graduated Avery Edwards were the only two tight ends on the roster to record receptions in 2018, combing for 10 for 82 yards and a touchdown. Okonkwo was the more effective of the two, accounting for six of those receptions, 69 yards, and the score.
The unit gets completely revamped in 2019 with another year of experience under Okonkwo’s belt and the addition of grad-transfer Tyler Mabry, who brought his All-MAC talent with him from Buffalo this offseason. The combination of Mabry and Okonkwo will give Maryland a one-two punch at the tight end position that it hasn’t really seen before, certainly not since the Terps joined the Big Ten.
At 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, Mabry is a polished blocker, coming from a run-heavy offense in Buffalo, but he can also run routes and make plays in the passing game when asked to. The Michigan native also has a good rapport with the Terps’ expected starting quarterback, Josh Jackson, who used to throw with Mabry back in their high school days.
Okonkwo admitted after his seven-reception, 63-yard, two-touchdown performance in the annual Red-White Spring Game that he still has a lot of work to do in order to become a better blocker and more complete tight end. But the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder should only improve in that area and possesses the speed and athleticism to be split out wide in certain formations to complement Mabry’s skill set.
Top Storyline: How will tight ends be used in Locksley’s offense?
Besides adding a talented piece to the tight end room like Mabry, another factor that should lead to more success for tight ends in College Park is the arrival of new head coach Michael Locksley.
Locksley has a strong recent history with tight ends. During his time at Alabama, he helped coach now-Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard to an outstanding college career, and last season under Locksley’s tutelage, the combination of Irv Smith Jr. -- since drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings -- and Hale Hentges accounted for 15.2 percent of the Crimson Tide’s receiving yards and 19.2 percent of their offensive touchdowns.
Locksley told reporters during spring camp that he plans to incorporate the same offensive system in College Park that he did in Tuscaloosa, and added that in his offense tight ends will “always play a role because they’re the guys who create matchup issues.” Locksley also said, "Maybe call Irv Smith from Alabama and ask him if we threw to tight ends," when asked about how he sees the position being used in the fall.
Taking Locksley at his word, Terps tight ends are likely in for a major uptick in usage in 2019.
Prediction: Mabry and Okonkwo both make pushes for All-Big Ten honors
With Purdue’s Brycen Hopkins as the only returning tight end to make an All-Big Ten team last year (3rd - media), the conference is wide open for someone to step up and take the reins as the premier player at the position. Well, Maryland could have two viable candidates for the job in 2019.
Perhaps Mabry and Okonkwo will cut into each other’s production a little too much for their final numbers to merit First or Second Team selections, but if Locksley is able to utilize his tight ends at all like he did at Alabama, at least one of them, if not both, will make strong cases for some level of all-conference honors.
Other Big Ten tight ends such as Hopkins, Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, Iowa’s Shaun Beyer, and Wisconsin’s Jake Ferguson will be the others at the position that present the stiffest competition for Mabry and Okonkwo, but none are locks to have exceptional seasons. Utilizing the Terps’ tight ends regularly in the red zone could end up being all that Locksley needs to do to get them some awards at season’s end.
