Nebraska Football: Travis Vokolek needs to have a big spring
The Nebraska Football tight end needs to step up.
You’ve heard me talk over the last couple of days about what players need to have a solid spring in order to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. One of those players in my estimation is tight end Travis Vokolek.
Vokolek had nine catches for 91 yards last season. To be fair, most of the tight end snaps went to Austin Allen. Allen certainly did well in his role of starting tight end. Vokolek was a decent complimentary piece all things considered. It should also be worth noting that Nebraska football really did not use their tight ends a ton until the end of last season.
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I don’t see Vokolek taking over the role of the starting tight end for Nebraska football. I can certainly see him as the second-string tight end, and that’s obviously where he will probably end up on the depth chart. However, with the influx of tight end talent coming in, he will undoubtedly need to have a big spring.
You have heard me talk about the talent in the 2021 tight end class quite frequently. You have a player like Thomas Fidone who could potentially burn his redshirt this year just due to the pure talent that he has. You also have a tight end in AJ Rollins who is a big-time playmaker. As far as James Carnie goes, he is recovering from an injury. He may need a bit more time before he can really make an impact. Nevertheless, Nebraska football has, at the very least, two young tight ends that could challenge Vokolek for that second spot.
I don’t think Vokolek is a bad player. Let me be clear on that. I do think that the competition has tightened at the position because of the amount of talent coming in. As a result, I think he needs to have a big spring. This is his chance to show that he can be an important part of the room. He definitely has the talent to do so, now he just needs to focus on making the most of his time on the field this spring. The perfect chance for him to step up and show the coaches what he can do.
Unlike last year, Nebraska now has depth at the tight end position. This may leave some players out of the equation. Vokolek will need to have a big spring to make sure he is not one of them.