2018 BC Football Camp Insider: Tight End Play Begins In "The Room"

The tight end is one of football's marvels. The modern, go-fast offenses have made it something of an extra wide receiver, and it requires more athleticism to play than ever before. Teams looking to speed up the field blend the position until it's virtually unrecognizable.

At Boston College, however, it's one of the most critical and complex on the field. As a pro-style offense, it requires the aforementioned athleticism but combines it into a host of roles that make it one of the most cerebral on the roster.

"A lot of people talk about our tight end position as a difficult position, both physically and mentally," assistant head coach and tight ends position coach Frank Leonard said. "The position has so many job descriptions, especially in our style of offense. A lot of coaches use the term 'pro-style' for our offense, and it is, but there are, in fact, many elements to what we do."

The Eagles therefore stocked their position with a number of different styles of tight ends. The position requires athletes who can run pass patterns and catch balls but also need to attack run protections from the offensive line. They need to stand in pass protection to protect the quarterback, all while potentially releasing and converting on the fly. They stand on the line, in the backfield and split out in the slot, all while providing critical successes for the unit.

The most public face of the position is Tommy Sweeney. He's been the axis of the position's development since arriving as a freshman in 2014. He redshirted that first year, slowly developing over four years into BC's leading receiver last season. He's enjoyed multiple breakout games over his career, starting with his sophomore season in 2016, and he became the first All-ACC tight end in a decade when he earned third-team honors last season.

"The beauty of Tommy Sweeney is that we recruited him close to where he is now (physically)," Leonard said. "He was six foot five inches tall and a high school basketball player, and like most of the players in our room, he was in our camp. He showed us his physical attributes in the camp as a pass receiver, but we got him on the sled and the bags. We realized he could possess power as a run blocker. He's certainly done that over the years, going from 220 pounds (as a rookie) to 260 pounds (as a graduate student)."

Sweeney is described as a "tough guy," and that's an integral part of the game. He has speed and possesses above average hands. He can run a good 40-yard dash and make it look better on film. But he can run block, which, according to Leonard, is a skill lacking in the modern football game.

It's a skill developed and studied within the confines of "the room," a term used to define the classroom setting for the tight ends. It's a place where teammates study how to become better while refining their respective games.

"You have to use the entire calendar year (as an athlete)," Leonard said. "That's really important because (the calendar) is always changing. You have to work on run blocking. That carries over into preseason training because that's when you can start using sleds and pads and things like that.

"There's a portion of the year where you can work on the pass game, the releases of the route and stems of the route without pads, which can be done in the offseason in winter workouts and things like pre-spring workouts. And then there's pass protection, which in a pro-style offense is needed for blocking. So, the classroom is a year-round process, and you have to be patient at times because it's a difficult position."

The Eagles have spent years honing the room to include the right personnel for its success. That now includes a number of different versatile players who all bring something different to the game. Jake Burt, for example, is like Sweeney in that he plays the "Y Tight End" and lines up next to an offensive tackle. He's a little bit more stout but possesses similar skills to his teammate.

"Jake is a very, very bright individual," Leonard said. "He's like Tommy with good ball skills, and he's a very physical blocker. Like a lot of the guys, he's bought into what we're doing."

Burt and Sweeney are paving the road for the next generation of Eagle talent. Hunter Long redshirted last season but is one of the longest receivers among the tight ends. He's already made his impact in preseason scrimmages, teaming up with quarterbacks Matt McDonald and EJ Perry for significant gains out in pass patterns.

"Hunter came out of Deerfield Academy, and he already weighed 255 pounds," Leonard said. "He's the tallest guy in the group, and he has excellent ball skills. He's extremely bright, and he had to be prepared as a true freshman (for potential playing time) against Louisville. He knew every assignment. He's just part of that development that's growing into the position."

Tight ends like Burt and Sweeney line up as receivers or offensive linemen. Long is a developmental youngster. But Christian Garrison, Korab Idrizi and Ray Marten are known more as an "H-back" that lines up behind the line of scrimmage in the backfield during a "22 personnel" situation (meaning two tight ends). Garrison, originally recruited as a wide receiver, returned from a leg injury in 2016 to start all 13 games last season.

"He had a couple of really tough injuries, but he's worked very hard to understand the game of football as a tight end," Leonard said. "He's gotten very bright, he's a skilled player and he's become more physical. He can go and go and go and go in practice and in a game."

Ray Marten, meanwhile, appeared in all 13 games last year, catching five passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. He's been working alongside fellow junior Korab Idrizi, a "throwback" with a toughness streak a mile long.

"Korab is probably one of the tougher guys in the country," Leonard said. "He's very physical, but he's also very bright. That's what it has to be in that room - kids with intelligence because there are too many job descriptions. Ray plays that position just like Christian and Korab. They don't have a lot of dialogue. There's always going and always doing what we ask as coaches."

The H-back can often be confused for a fullback, but the two are very distinct. Colton Cardinal, for example, is that old-school battering ram of a player also used on special teams. "Colton is a special teams guy who plays fullback in our '21 personnel' when we have a fullback and tight end of the field. He's probably one of the more physical players on the entire team."

For the Eagles, the tight end is as important to the offense's success as any other position. It's a totally dynamic position requiring on-the-fly adaptability and intelligence. It's a big reason why BC broke out and found success last season, and it's an equally big reason why the offense is ready to make more believers in 2018.

"There's a few guys in that classroom that can make a chance (for themselves) to go onto the next level," Leonard said. "It's a great place to be, and I love it."

2018 BC Football Camp Insider: Tight End Play Begins In "The Room"

Players Mentioned

Jake Burt

Colton Cardinal

Korab Idrizi

Hunter Long

Ray Marten

Matt McDonald

EJ Perry

Tommy Sweeney

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