Cal Poly tight end Josh Cuevas being courted by trio of Pac-12 schools

Josh Cuevas has quickly become the second highly-touted FCS tight end to hit the Transfer Portal.

The Cal Poly redshirt freshman entered the Transfer Portal last Friday. He’s caught the attention of multiple Power Five schools after just one year at the FCS level. Tennessee landed Cal Davis tight end McCallan Castles on Wednesday night.

Playing in a pass-first offense with the Mustangs, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end finished the season with 57 catches for 663 yards and six touchdowns. With a big frame for quarterbacks to target, he has paired it with impressive receiving skills.

Multiple Pac-12 programs are courting Cuevas. While schools such as Washington, Michigan, Illinois and Nevada have all made offers, sources have indicated to On3 it has turned into a three-team race.

Utah, USC and UCLA are all vying for the tight end. Kyle Whittingham is making an in-home visit Thursday night to visit the tight end, too.

Arizona State also has to be considered, since former Cal Poly head coach Beau Baldwin recently was hired as offensive coordinator by Kenny Dillingham. Cuevas has three year of eligibility remaining.

With his athleticism and body frame, there’s belief he can easily make the switch to the FBS and make an immediate impact. The Los Angeles native earned FCS Freshman All-American honors and was named third-team All-Big Sky following the season.

Best fit for Josh Cuevas

Utah is able to tout its development of Dalton Kincaid to Cuevas. While Kincaid may not be a finalist for the Mackey Award, he has 70 receptions this season for 890 yards and eight touchdown catches. Kincaid leads all tight ends in receiving yards, and he has a similar skillset to the Cal Poly transfer.

Landing at USC would allow Cuevas to join forces with Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams. With the up-tempo, pass-first offense, finding him touches would not be a problem. And at UCLA, while Chip Kelly has to find his next quarterback, the Bruins have a track record of having one of the nation’s top offenses.