Baylor tight end group adapting to new up-tempo offense (2025)

The Baylor tight ends are not going the way of the dinosaurs.

There are six tight ends on the Bears’ roster this fall, down from the nine at the same time a season ago.

While first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital’s up-tempo, spread offense figures to utilize the big-bodied blockers far less often than Jeff Grimes’ wide zone scheme did for the last few years, they still felt a sense of purpose.

“I mean, this is similar to the offense we all kind of dreamed of, and we want to be a part of it,” junior tight end Kelsey Johnson said. “(We) get more catches, get more looks. We’re all just very happy about where everything’s going so far.”

When Spavital was the offensive coordinator at California last season, the No. 3 receiver for the Golden Bears was listed as a tight end who averaged more than 11 yards per catch and finished the season with more than 400 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

On the other hand, in the four years Spavital was the head coach at Texas State, a tight end had more than 10 receptions in a season just once.

“The importance of the tight end hasn’t lessened at all one bit, we’re still involved heavily in almost every single play,” sophomore Matthew Klopfenstein said. “We’re lead blocking with the guard, or we’re split out wide and we’re blocking the safety.

“I would just say the number of tight ends has definitely, for sure, diminished being in a spread offense.”

Only one tight end on the Baylor roster, redshirt freshman Hawkins Polley, caught a touchdown pass last season.

Johnson has had the most impact of any returning tight end, playing in 22 of 25 games in the last two years and totaling 20 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown and also rushing for a touchdown.

Klopfenstein was stuck down the depth chart as a true freshman last season but has plenty of potential to break out as a sophomore. He was a four-star prospect who had more than 40 catches for more than 600 yards and six touchdowns as a senior in high school.

“It’s been a different change, for sure, especially being split out wide, having to work on perimeter blocking and stuff like that,” he said. “You have good days, you have bad days, but that’s why we have camp. It’s been really good to see myself branch out from what I’m used to from last year.”

Baylor also added 6-foot-4, 246-pound Michael Trigg via the transfer portal in the offseason. Trigg has more than 300 yards and four touchdowns in his career, which was split between USC and Ole Miss.

“His quickness, his agility and his ability to move at that size is very impressive,” Johnson said.

Senior Gavin Yates might be the most important player in the group.

In three years in Waco, he has seven total receptions and two rushing attempts. Even though he scored a touchdown on his first-ever rush, by his own admission, he’s not much of an offensive weapon.

“On the EA game, they said my strength was deep threat, which, I don’t know what EA is doing,” Yates said. “It’s not me, I’m not a deep threat. You’re not going to see me running four verts and catching touchdown passes.”

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound senior serves as a lead blocker as well as anyone.

While his on-field contributions may be minimal, the energy he brings not just to the tight end room but to the entire team is unquantifiable.

“If the energy of the group is down, he brings everybody up, players and coaches,” Johnson said. “He’s just a cheery guy. When I’m feeling down, I can look towards him, and he can give me the energy that I need to be a better leader and be more positive.”

Yates had his work cut out for him last season when the Bears finished with just three wins and lost their final five games.

When running back Richard Reese, wide receiver Ketron Jackson and the other Baylor representatives returned from Big 12 Media Days last month, they relayed to the team that everyone was so nice to them.

Translation: If people are nice to you, they don’t respect you.

It’s a viewpoint Yates is out to change this season.

“You want to win,” Yates said. “That’s why you do all that hard work, so you can win football games. If you don’t win, then you’re looked at as scrubs. So, we’ve got more of a boulder on our shoulder than I would say a chip.”