The tight end position was one of the most integral parts of the early Mumme/Leach days.  James Whalen was an All American at Kentucky and Mike Leach understands as well as anyone the value of having a receiving threat that is equally adept at blocking in the run game.  Not since the Bristol Olumua project has Leach been able to attract the appropriate personnel.  He’s offered the same guys as the big boys:  Martellus Bennett, Jermichael Finley, Jermaine Gresham, etc.  Leach even flirted with Gabe Hall and Rylan Reed at tight end for short stints.  He also employed more tight end formations in 2008 than in recent history.  Now, we need our personnel to become more tight end-like with Baron Batch returning and the luxury of redshirting bluechip prospect Harrison Jeffers.  Especially, breaking in a new QB in need of a safety valve in the 8-10 yard range. 

TE Adam James, 6′3″, 217 lbs, Soph – James is a classic tweener.  Too slow to be an outside receiver and too small to be a tight end.  However, that doesn’t mean he can’t be a contributor as evidenced by his limited playing time in 2008.  It won’t do James much good to spend his offseason attempting to get faster.  He’ll have to lose weight or stay the same to do that, and we’ve got plenty of players on our roster of a similar stature with better speed for the outside.  James was an underrated blocker when assigned to LBs, but doesn’t possess the necessary bulk to give Big 12 DEs much of a challenge.  This should be his goal.  James must maintain his status as a receiving threat, so gaining too much weight could become counter-productive to his playing time should Leach feel he can’t get open.  A solid 15-20 pounds are achievable with his frame and should lead to an increased snaps for a guy who has shown the desire and technique to be successful.  I’m genuinely excited about his toughness and size over the middle of the field against LBs attempting to jam him.  James isn’t a great runner, but he’s fast enough to exploit most LBs.  Plus, his physical assets should be just that in the red zone against a safety.  Nice hands as well.

TE Adrian Reese, 6′7″, 215 lbs, Jr. – Hands and consistency have been issues with Reese.  He’s a better physical talent than James, but probably not a better football player.  Given his rangy frame, Reese needs to shoot for the 240-range as well and probably wouldn’t lose as much speed as James.    However, he’s never displayed overwhelming blocking skills or the physicality required to play with his hand on the ground.  I also seem to recall Reese having trouble gaining weight. 

TE Omar Castillo, 6′6″, 280 lbs, RS Fr. – Interesting move by Leach of Castillo from OT to TE over the bowl practices.  I am a fan of this given the potential shown by Mickey Okafor and Terry McDaniel at tackle.  I doubt Castillo can run or catch well enough to see significant playing time, but could serve as a nice short yardage or max protection option in playaction scenarios down the road.

H-Back – Our only option in 2008 graduates with Ryan Hale, who was a surprisingly decent lead blocker.  Not much of a receiving threat.  I have no idea what Leach will do here, or if he’ll just chuck the formation.  I don’t think that’s where he’s headed next season, so here are some current LBs who might show up on offense come fall. 

Julius Howard, 6′1″, 215 lbs, Jr. – Howard isn’t a better option than Marlon Williams, and could very well be passed on the depth chart before he ever sees time as a starter.  Depth issues will probably keep him at LB.

Tanner Foster, 6′3″, 211 lbs, RS Fr. – I would expect he’s the most likely candidate to move, but I’m making the assumption he’s the least talented LB prospect which is probably not fair to Tanner.  We’ll see.

Sam Fehoko, 5′11″, 236 lbs, Soph. – This in all likelihood won’t happen, but should.  Fehoko has the best build and physical disposition for the fullback position.  He’s not going to beat out Brian Duncan or Victor Hunter in McNeill’s 2-gap scheme, so that puts his earliest playing time as a senior.  Unless injuries dictate otherwise, Fehoko’s head banging style will be better served as a physical presence on offense.