Nebraska Football has newfound depth at the position.
There may be a bit of a positional controversy at tight end as Nebraska Football is starting to learn what they have for depth. Originally, the starter was penciled in to be Jack Stoll. However, his backups are closing the gap.
Kurt Rafdal and Austin Allen are two of the more intriguing names on the roster. Both did not see a ton of playing time last year, but that should be able to change this year. It’s interesting that there is competition emerging relatively late into training camp. With the opener against South Alabama just a couple of days away, I initially thought there would be more of a separation between the starters and backups at the position. So far, that does not appear to be the case. If anything, the competition at tight end is beginning to heat up.
More from Husker Corner
- Former Nebraska football star returns to the program in new role
- Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
- Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
- Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
- Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims
Especially with redshirt freshman Katerian Legrone playing well and redshirt freshman Chris Hickman still working his way back from an injury, depth is even more important than usual. However, aside from just depth, it seems like Nebraska Football is trying to sort out exactly what they have at the position. This is certainly a welcome problem for Nebraska. In a way, this is unexpected because obviously we haven’t heard much from Legrone or Rafdal. Now, they appear to be ready to compete. Stoll has to be ready for that as well.
As Parker Gabriel from the Lincoln Journal Star reported on Wednesday, the coaches have told Stoll that there is competition at the position. This is interesting, and I would be willing to bet that it’s going to light a fire under him. This is certainly going to be a fun position battle to watch.
"“I told Jack Stoll in front of all of them yesterday, I told him that Austin Allen and Kurt Rafdal have closed the gap on him,” Beckton said Wednesday. “There was a major gap between Jack and those two last year, and those guys have really closed the gap physically and also mentally in terms of understanding what we’re trying to accomplish on every single play.”"
I think Stoll should still get the start against South Alabama, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Rafdal and Allen on the field for extended periods of time in certain games. Having at least three tight ends who can play hard and play well will be a tremendous boost for this roster. A little competition never hurt anybody, and this is proof of that. I can’t wait until the season starts, and it sounds like the tight ends are ready as well.