Cincinnati Bearcats tight ends could eclipse last year's production

The Cincinnati Bearcats dutifully went through football practice Monday, a day when many people were outside waiting for the moon to align with the sun.

Football is rare to break routine, so practice remained at 3 p.m. The only difference was each player entering the field got a brief glimpse through provided cardboard glasses of the moon slowly covering the orange sphere in the sky.

By 3:10 p.m. a sun-splashed Nippert Stadium turned to "Nipp at Night" with the temperature dropping accordingly. Quickly, things returned to normal with the Bearcats running their offense, often through multiple tight end sets.

Tying into the day's theme, the question is will the Bearcats 2024 tight end production eclipse that of last year?

Celek, Kelce, Deguara, Whyle....

Chamon Metayer led UC's tight ends in 2023 with 22 catches for five touchdowns, but bolted for the portal after the West Virginia game, missing the season-ender vs. Kansas. Metayer is now at Colorado where Bearcat fans will see him again Oct. 26 when UC goes to Boulder to oppose "Coach Prime" Deion Sanders.

Payten Singletary returns after 12 catches and two scores in 10 games. Michael McCalmont and Caleb Schmitz accounted for the only other two receptions at tight end.

Near the end of Monday's practice, Singletary caught a key pass over the middle then delivered a bone-crunching blow to the defender, much to the delight of Bearcats tight end coach Josh Stepp.

"That's something we talk about all the time, being a known finisher," Stepp said. "Whether it's in the box or on the perimeter, being a guy that's going to finish the play."

Said Singletary, "They also coach us up, 'Don't run out of bounds. Get every extra yard you can.'"

Not sweating last year's personnel losses

Singletary believes the connection between players is better than Satterfield's first year. Reinforcements have come to the room. One is from here and the other was here.

Joe Royer, at 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds from Elder and Ohio State has thus far been uninjured and appears ready to make an impact in his hometown, much like his former Elder teammate, offensive guard Luke Kandra. Despite his limited production with the Buckeyes due to injury and depth, Royer has flashed brilliance.

"Joe Royer is a huge addition to our room," Stepp said. "He's the real deal. He's really good in space, can stretch the field vertically for us and do all that we need to do in the pass game. He's a weapon in the running game too. The guy does a phenomenal job in the box."

Then there's Joey Beljan.

Injured in last year's spring practice, Beljan was brought in from Western Kentucky initially with the Scott Satterfield staff to contribute in 2023. At 6-foot-3, 237 pounds he brings five years of experience with the Hilltoppers where he began as a walk-on. He was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy in 2021 given to college football's most outstanding player who began as a walk-on.

"JB's done a great job battling back after the knee injury," Stepp said. "He's had a really good spring. He only had maybe three practices last spring before his injury."

At WKU, he had 29 receptions and 10 touchdowns in his final two seasons and was a Conference USA honorable mention player. Beljan ays he's still working off the rust of not playing but is still making a noticeable difference.

"It happens in an instant," Beljan said of having football taken away in 2023. "I don't want to say I took it for granted. Now it's like a get to practice. I was dying to practice last year but physically couldn't. I'm just taking advantage of every opportunity I get."

Young Blood

New to the mix are early enrollees 6-foot-6, 240-pound Gavin Grover from Lewis Center Olentangy near Columbus and 6-foot-5, 245-pound Devyn Zahursky from Berea, Ohio. Big 12 recruits rarely come in with gangly frames these days.

"I've got to remind myself they were just in high school," Beljan said.

Grover has Travis Kelce size and is wearing his NFL number 87 (Kelce wore 18 at UC). The height and that number stand out if you've watched the Chiefs and Bengals recently.

"They're babies but they're both going to be really good players," Stepp said. "Gavin Grover's had a phenomenal spring. He picked it up really quickly and has done a really good job for us"

Zahursky wears No. 83 at UC and has also caught Stepp's eye.

"Devyn Zahursky one of the strongest kids on the team as an early enrollee," Stepp said. "He's still trying to figure it out a little bit but he's had a really good spring too. What we ask our tight ends to do in this offense is a lot. They're involved in everything. They've both (Grover, Zahursky) been in extra meetings, extra film study, they both have a tremendously high ceiling."

It takes two (or more)

Particularly in UC's offense, two or more reliable tight ends are a must. Factor in the possibility of injuries and depth is needed. Fortunately, it looks like the Bearcats are deeper than some think at tight end.

"Playing a 12-game schedule, especially nine games in the Big 12, is hard," Stepp said. "With what we do offensively, we've got to have depth at that position. You're going to go through some bumps and bruises in the 12-game schedule."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC Bearcats have added tight end talent to improve 2024 production