7/29/2023 football Edit

Rutgers Football Fall Camp Position Breakdowns: Tight Ends

Alec Crouthamel

Staff Writer

As a position group that has struggled to find consistent production, the tight ends for Rutgers football enter a pivotal year along with the rest of the offense. With new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s penchant for using multiple tight ends in his offensive scheme, the need for the position to be a consistent weapon has increased.

Heading into the offseason, adding a tight end became a need for head coach Greg Schiano and company. They played a bit of a long game in waiting to make a portal addition, until June.

Next up: Tight Ends

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Shawn Bowman entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer on June 7th after spending four seasons at Maine. He was originally recruited by current Rutgers defensive coordinator and former Black Bears head coach Joe Harasymiak, with Scarlet Knights’ linebackers coach Corey Hetherman as his defensive coordinator.

The staff used this connection and immediately reached out to Bowman, offering and scheduling a visit very quickly. By June 11th, he announced his commitment to Rutgers, stabilizing a decade-long position of instability.

In 2022, Bowman played in eight games, recording 31 catches for 377 yards and five touchdowns. In two games against FBS competition, he logged three catches for 40 yards in a loss to New Mexico, and three receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown against Boston College. He also ranked 42nd in PFF’s grading for tight ends across the country, ahead of Big Ten draftees Sam LaPorta and Brenton Strange.

While Bowman may not be a burner in the receiving game, he is a reliable target with soft hands who can find openings to gain yardage. That kind of safety blanket for quarterback Gavin Wimsatt will be extremely important, especially given his playstyle as a dual-threat quarterback who can escape the pocket and make plays out of structure. Much like the additions of Naseim Brantley and JaQuae Jackson in the wide receiver room, there will likely be an adjustment period to allow for Bowman to get used to the jump in competition going from the FCS to the Big Ten, but as the season goes on he should become a reliable target in the passing game.

Alongside Bowman remains Johnny Langan, entering his fifth year on the Banks, “Johnny Offense” has lived up to his nickname, playing quarterback, fullback, running back, and predominantly tight end during his time at Rutgers. The Bergen Catholic product logged 31 receptions for 296 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game, and 31 carries for 139 yards and a score in the running game. While his involvement in the run game has dwindled on account of opponents beginning to figure out where he was going when lined up at quarterback, he still provides soft hands and strong blocking prowess and provides intangible toughness as a do-it-all figure in the offense.

Langan is at his best when operating in between the numbers working the intermediate game and in the flats on the outside where he can impose his will on opposing defenders, so how he works with Bowman will be key, as the two will likely be on the field at the same time in Ciarrocca’s multiple tight end personnel sets. While Langan may start the season as the first tight end, the two should coexist by midseason in the offense.

Likely the third tight end in the pecking order will be junior Victor Konopka. The Blair Academy and Don Bosco product struggled with health in 2022, only playing in the first three games before missing the final nine with an undisclosed injury. At 6-foot-seven and 250 pounds, Konopka has great size for the position and also showed great progress in the blocking game before going down, also hauling in a 17-yard reception in the season opener at Boston College. After a full offseason of recovering and training, it would be a boon for Ciarrocca and tight ends coach Andrew Aurich if Konopka entered the season fully recovered and ready to become a legitimate threat in the Big Ten.

Beyond the top three, sophomore Mike Higgins returns for the Scarlet Knights, after playing in seven games in 2022. The program also welcomes freshman Logan Blake, as the three-star comes in from the Hun School. Junior Evan Ward and sophomore Jordan Walker round out the position coming into the season.