With spring practice underway at many Pac-12 destinations, it's time to do our annual position-by-position breakdown.
We're making our way through the offensive position groups, and today we get to tight ends. Let's begin with the South ...
Arizona: Starter Blair Tushaus spent just one walk-on season with the Wildcats before exhausting his eligibility (three previous seasons at BYU) and did so in strictly a blocking role. The team’s tight ends combined for a grand total of zero receptions in 2014. Josh Kern and Trevor Wood are the primary holdovers fighting for playing time, and recent signees Darrell Cloy and Matt Morin, a junior-college transfer, joined the team this spring.
Arizona State: Kody Kohl returns after finishing fourth on the team with 16 receptions for 167 yards and four touchdowns. He will no longer split time with De'Marieya Nelson, but the Sun Devils added three intriguing players through recruiting -- junior-college transfer Raymond Epps, who will have three years of eligibility remaining, and freshmen Tommy Hudson and Jay Jay Wilson. Grant Martinez and walk-on Dan Vear also return.
Colorado: The Buffs lose starter Kyle Slavin (11 catches in 2014) and only return one player with any experience: junior Sean Irwin (7 catches). There are five other tight ends listed on the roster, including sophomore Connor Center, who didn’t play high school football, two walk-ons (Brian Boatman and Chris Hill) and two freshmen coming off their redshirt seasons (Hayden Jones and Dylan Keeney). Two-star Chris Bounds should also factor in when he arrives.
UCLA: The Bruins don’t regularly use a tight end -- they list none on the roster -- but signed talented four-star Chris Clark from Connecticut in their recent recruiting class. The No. 111 overall player in the ESPN 300, Clark could find a role early thanks to his 6-foot-6, 247-pound frame.
USC: A few weeks ago, this figured to be Bryce Dixon's job to lose, but with his status in question becasue of a "student-conduct issue," it’s a bit murky. Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick, who missed the entire 2014 season because of academic issues, is the only other scholarship player on the roster. The Trojans will add four-star Tyler Petite to the roster in time for fall camp, but it again looks like the Trojans will be light at the position while trying to replace starter Randall Telfer.
Utah: Lewis Powell, a former defensive lineman for the Utes, was brought in to coach the tight ends ... all seven of them. Westlee Tonga caught 30 passes for 391 yards as a senior, and his departure doesn’t leave an easy void to fill. Of the players competing to replace him, only junior Siale Fakailoatonga recorded a catch last season (he had two).