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BYU Football: Position Preview – Tight Ends

By Ron Jensen

28 Sep 1996: Tight end Itula Mili of the Brigham Young Cougars runs with the ball during a game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. BYU won the game, 31-3. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport
28 Sep 1996: Tight end Itula Mili of the Brigham Young Cougars runs with the ball during a game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. BYU won the game, 31-3. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport /
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In the past, BYU Football has utilized their tight ends as a feature in its offenses. With a returning freshman All-American and talented newcomers, the position looks to have a renaissance in 2018.

Although BYU Football has a long list of tight end greats, the last few years have provided very little production at that position. With the arrival of Jeff Grimes’s new offense, rumors state that one, two, or even three tight ends may be seen on the field at once in certain formations.

This sets the stage for the position to take its prominent place in history once more.  Let’s examine the possibilities of candidates to bring back tight end glory:

The Veterans

Matt Bushman

Grimes has made it abundantly clear that a tight end in his offense must be a blocker first. He has stated several times that if a player can catch but can’t make the blocks, he won’t play.

Matt Bushman (6’5, 240, So) has bulked up a bit from last season, and hopefully his blocking has improved as a result. But even if not, it would be foolish not to take advantage of his special skill set.

I’m not just talking about his great hands and build, either.  What he does after the catch is his greatest asset. Bushman has speed and explosiveness rarely seen in an athlete of that size.

In 2017, Bushman had 49 receptions for 520 yards. He was the lone bright spot of an otherwise horrific offense. For Grimes’ offense to be successful in 2018, Bushman’s talents must be employed.

Moroni Laulu-Pututau

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Moroni Laulu-Pututau (6’4, 240, Jr) is by far the most intriguing choice at this position. During his first two seasons at BYU, he found himself as a wide receiver on the roster. In those seasons he caught a combined 33 passes for 390 yards.

It was decided following his sophomore season that his skills would be better serve him as a tight end. After putting on much-needed weight and showing great potential, he sustained a lisfranc injury that kept him out of the 2017 season, and much of this off-season so far.

It’s uknown how his recovery is coming along, but if he does get back to full strength, look out. He is another big target that can get up and down the field in a hurry.

JJ Nwigwe

Before last season started, coaches made the decision to move undersized JJ Nwigwe (6’5, 260, Sr) to tight end. This came with hopes of having another strong blocker on the field when necessary.

Now having had a year under his belt, he’s adding pass catching to his repertoire. He’s by no means ever going to be the deep ball threat that some of these other players might be. However, he’s proven he has fairly reliable hands.

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