Position Group Preview: Tight Ends

With the football season opener less than 7 weeks away now, we’re continuing our Position Group Preview series with the tight end group, which features one of the offense’s potential breakout performers.

2024 Performance

UVa didn’t use the tight end a ton in the pass game in Tony Elliott’s first two years at Virginia, but in year three, the Hoos found a target at the position. Harvard transfer Tyler Neville emerged as a reliable option for Virginia’s offense, and finished second on the team in receptions. Neville, in his lone season at UVa, caught 37 passes for 394 yards and a pair of scores. He had a breakout game early in the season at Wake Forest, scoring twice, but those were ultimately his only two touchdowns of the season. 

UVa also used tight ends as they typically have, as blockers, or in an H-back role. Sackett Wood returned and though he only caught three passes for 18 yards, did find the end zone, in the loss to Clemson. Fellow tight end Dakota Twitty also caught a touchdown in that game, the first of his career. Twitty moved over from wide receiver to tight end before the season, and flashed some ability, finishing the season with 10 catches for 78 yards. 

The Projected Starters: Dakota Twitty, Sage Ennis

We’re listing co-starters here, with Twitty and senior Sage Ennis returning. Ennis played in only four games last year, and was used quite a bit as a blocker when he was available. Ennis suffered a season-ending injury in September, and was able to keep his final year of eligibility; he caught just one pass last year for two yards. 

While Ennis could be UVa’s primary blocking tight end, Twitty has major upside as a pass-catching option. Twitty seemed to grow more comfortable in the tight end role throughout last season, after switching over from wide receiver, and admitted in the spring that it took some time to get used to the physicality demanded by in-line blocking. Twitty again flashed his downfield potential in the spring game, hauling in an impressive catch across the middle for a big gain. If he can be an improved blocker, his athletic upside should get him on the field quite a bit. Even if UVa goes with Ennis more on run downs, or use two tight-end sets, Twitty should be on the field a lot in passing situations.

The Depth Options: John Rogers, TeKai Kirby, Walker Wallace, Justin Zames, Willem Thurber, Henry Omohundro, Hayden Rollison

UVa has an interesting depth group that has upside, but not much playing experience. John Rogers redshirted last year as a true freshman, but seems to have quite a bit of upside, and made a couple of impressive catches in the spring game. He may be a year away from a much more significant role, but perhaps Rogers can work his way onto the field this year. TeKai Kirby is back as well, now in his third year with the Hoos. Kirby has yet to feature for the Hoos. UVa also added a pair of true freshmen in Willem Thurber and Justin Zames, who will likely be depth this year and options for the future. Thurber played at Deerfield Prep in New England, while Zames starred at Berkeley Prep in the Tampa area. UVa also has a pair of former walk-ons, Henry Omohundro and Hayden Rollison, to add depth to the position and perhaps contribute on special teams. 

UVa also quietly added an intriguing option in Cornell lacrosse player Walker Wallace. A Richmond native that played at St. Wallace is the nephew of former UVa football player Charles McDaniel, and played 41 games for Cornell Lacrosse over three seasons. More on him in a bit.

The Breakout Candidate: Dakota Twitty

We have to go with Twitty here, who seems like one of the best breakout candidates on the entire roster heading into fall camp. Twitty’s size and speed will give him a chance to be dynamic, especially down the seam. He should be able to win matchups with linebackers, and will be a big target for new UVa QB Chandler Morris. Twitty has had to work really hard to get to this position, battling an injury he suffered in high school that cost him his first year of play at UVa, and working through a position change in the middle of his college career. He has taken it all in stride, and if he can have a breakout season at tight end for the Hoos, it will be a good story of a guy who stuck it out, stayed at his original school, and found a way to contribute in a big way. 

The Big Question: Is Walker Wallace a sleeper addition that can make a difference for the Hoos?

This is a potential wild card in one of very few positions on the roster that doesn’t have a bunch of inbound transfers battling for the starting job. Wallace hasn’t played organized football since 2020 in high school, so there will certainly be a learning curve. Still, UVa has clearly seen something in Wallace’s athleticism from his lacrosse career, enough to give him a shot at tight end. The former Cornell midfielder has intriguing size at 6-foot-7, 242 pounds. Perhaps, if he can pick up the nuances of the position quickly, Wallace could have some success becoming a tight end later in his athletic career and making athletic plays for the Hoos. It’s a recipe that worked well for former quarterbacks Tony Poljan and Jelani Woods, who thrived at tight end at UVa under the previous coaching staff. Now, we’ll see if the current staff can do the same with a lacrosse star.