Advertisement
football Edit

EARLY SPRING PREVIEW: TE's have depth, experience, promising potential

Cats Illustrated presses ahead with our series previewing Kentucky's spring practice, which starts in less than a month.

Tight ends take the spotlight today, and its an impressive group that Vince Marrow will be working with.

C.J. Conrad, Greg Hart and Justin Rigg give Marrow and the Cats an impressive combination of depth, experience and potential.

Go premium at Cats Illustrated and get all the site's premium content plus membership at the House of Blue community.

C.J. Conrad against Louisville (Jamie Rhodes/USA Today Sports)
C.J. Conrad against Louisville (Jamie Rhodes/USA Today Sports)
Advertisement

MORE SPRING PREVIEW CONTENT FROM CATS ILLUSTRATED

Cats have improved quarterback depth but some key questions exist heading toward spring

Running backs should again be a strength

UK needs consistency at receiver, and it'd help if new faces step up

WHO TO KNOW
Name Height, Weight Class (2017) 2016 stats (career)

C.J. Conrad

6'5, 245

Junior

19 catches, 262 yards, 4 TD (34 catches, 411 yards, 5 TD)

Greg Hart

6'5, 245

Senior

6 catches, 32 yards

Justin Rigg

6'6, 251

Sophomore (pending medical RS application)

N/A

WHAT WE KNOW

Kentucky returns its top three tight ends from the 2016 roster. Before last season then-redshirt sophomore Darryl Long was trying to push for more playing time, but once Greg Hart returned from his mandatory one-year transfer pause, that became less likely. The emergence of true freshman Justin Rigg early in fall camp, upon his arrival, also contributed to Long's departure.

Hart played in 12 of Kentucky's 13 games (missing only the Austin Peay game), and he was credited with a start in the TaxSlayer Bowl because the Cats opened with two tight ends. He wasn't a frequent target for Stephen Johnson in the passing game but Hart was a reliable blocker who can't be left unattended by the defense when he gets off the line.

He provided quality depth behind Conrad, who in his second year with the program continued to make strides both as a blocker and a pass catcher.

Conrad's signature performance at Kentucky came against New Mexico State, when he caught five passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns, including one which was a 72-yard catch-and-rumble down the sideline for a score. Turns out, Kentucky needed Conrad's contributions in that 62-42 win over the Aggies, and he was rewarded as the recipient of the John Mackey Tight End of the Week following that stellar performance. Later, Conrad caught a pass for a two-point conversion against Georgia Tech.

He finished the regular season strong against Louisville, catching a deflected ball between the hash marks for a solid gain and drawing a pass interference penalty.

Conrad played in all of Kentucky's games last season and started in all of them when the Cats had a tight end on the field to open the game.

Conrad's numbers would have been much better if Johnson had been on the same page as his more frequently. Several times last season the Johnson-to-Conrad combination nearly panned out, sometimes on plays that appeared to have big-play potential, but either an errant throw or a batted pass at the line of scrimmage would derail the design. Perhaps the most memorable instance of that came against Alabama.

Justin Rigg didn't arrive a semester early last year but the big 6-foot-6, 251-pounder from Springboro, Ohio immediately made an impact in camp as receiver and a blocker. He saw action in Kentucky's season opener against USM and then again in the Cats' third game against NMSU, but in that game he suffered lacerations to his kidney and missed the remainder of the regular season. Cats Illustrated later learned that Hart was able to return for some work with the team before the bowl game in Jacksonville, but he is hopeful for a medical redshirt, which would grant him another year of eligibility.

It's worth noting that Will Collins and Tanner Fink will not be with the program in 2017, having exhausted their eligibility. Whether one labels them fullbacks, H-Backs or tight ends, they were former walk-ons turned scholarship players with Collins seeing action in three games and Fink logging snaps in 10 last year.

Greg Hart celebrates with Benny Snell after paving the way for a rushing touchdown against Missouri (Denny Medley/USA Today Sports)
Greg Hart celebrates with Benny Snell after paving the way for a rushing touchdown against Missouri (Denny Medley/USA Today Sports)

WHAT SEEMS LIKELY

In some respects it should be more of the same from the tight ends in 2016, with Conrad returning as the odds-on favorite to start for the third consecutive year and both Hart and Rigg returning to back him up.

The Cats have enough depth at the position that Marrow and Mark Stoops would probably feel comfortable with any of the aforementioned players on the field, and it's likely that the Cats will show some two tight end looks, especially in short-yardage running situations.

In the offseason it seems like Kentucky will try to establish more of a rapport and rhythm between Johnson and Conrad, because there were so many missed opportunities, yards and points left on the field last year.

WHAT WE'RE ASKING

Will Johnson and Conrad find that chemistry? The issue has already been laid out. Now all that's left is for Kentucky's rising senior quarterback (or whoever plays behind center, be it Johnson, Drew Barker or Gunnar Hoak) and the Cats' junior tight end to make those near misses into big plays.

Can Rigg push Hart for the second tight end spot? It's very likely that Hart, a senior and respected team leader, will see see playing time in most if not all of Kentucky's 2017 games. But Rigg was so promising early last year it's also tough to imagine him not seeing more of a role this year.

FORECASTING THE POSITION'S STRENGTH

Conrad's numbers have been better than he's probably been given credit for but in the meantime he's quietly become one of the SEC's better blocking tight ends. Throw in the yards and points that he probably should have had and it's easy to imagine Conrad as an All-SEC candidate going into his junior season.

Kentucky's coaches have to feel very good about their experience at the position, given the extensive time Conrad has over two seasons and what Hart did last year. They must also feel very good about their depth at tight end given the return of Rigg. That seems to be a given, considering they did not aggressively seek to replace 2017 tight end commitment Charles Reeves, once he decommitted early in the recruiting process.

The Cats could have one of the better tight end units in the SEC and it appears as though they have a trio that should again make the run game stronger while providing a threat in the passing game.

Go premium at Cats Illustrated and get all the site's premium content plus membership at the House of Blue community.

Advertisement