KU tight ends embracing opportunity, responsibility ahead of 2024 season

LAWRENCE (KSNT) - KU football returns a bulk of its offensive production from the 2023 season.

The Jayhawks have experienced football players headlining their skill positions. Jalon Daniels, with over 4,500 total yards to boast, returns for a fifth season of college football. A trio of super-senior wide receivers (Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm and Quentin Skinner) have been in Lawrence with Daniels the whole way, since the fall of 2020. Plus, Devin Neal comes back for his senior campaign with an opportunity to break some KU records.

The returners in those spots likely leaves opposing defenses challenged with a decision of who to put the most focus on. It could open doors to breakout performances at a spot KU did lose its top contributor from 2023: the tight end room.

Mason Fairchild graduated after notching 451 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his final year of college ball. When defenses zero in on Daniels, Neal and the wideouts, KU's tight ends might have to step up.

"They call us the second quarterback," KU fifth-year senior tight end Jared Casey said. "We have to know everything else that's going on. Obviously, the quarterbacks take all the motions and shifts and everything and they got to know who's blocking what, but we kind of do, too. We got to know where the O-line is going, which gap in the hole the running back is going through. We got to know who the wide receiver is going to go block. We're really taking it upon ourselves to really learn about what coach Grimes wants to do and do it to the best."

Casey, and others in his position group, know there's no room for a weak link in the Big 12. So, it's not just an opportunity to be impactful when defenses focus elsewhere. It's a responsibility to do their job in order for the Jayhawk offense to reach its full potential.

"Every guy has a different set of skills and we're going to use every one of those skills to our advantaged moving forward," KU senior tight end Trevor Kardell said. "The tight end room is a very diverse, strong, core group to work with. There's not a lot of things that you can't ask us to do. I think moving forward the tight ends are ready for anything you throw at us."

They're also getting used to working with a new offensive coordinator, but Casey pointed out he's gone through coaching changes before. Kansas also added Leyton Cure to that group over the offseason. A transfer from DII Fort Hays State, Cure missed the 2023 season due to injury but tallied 26 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2022.