Historically, the West Virginia Mountaineers underutilize pass-catching tight ends. Last year, that changed in a big way. Rounding into 2024, a healthy Kole Taylor leads WVU’s tight ends.
Healthy Kole Taylor Leads WVU’s Tight Ends
One has to look back to the 1999 season to find a single tight end with a more prolific year in Morgantown than Taylor in 2023. In Don Nehlen’s penultimate season, Anthony Becht caught the ball 35 times for 510 yards and five scores. Last year, Taylor joined the Mountaineers via LSU and finished with 35 catches, 444 yards, and four scores. Taylor was a junior. Becht put those numbers up as a senior. Taylor was in his first season with signal caller Garrett Greene. Becht was in his fourth with Marc Bulger (and third when both started together).
Another distinction is health. According to Taylor, he tore his labrum during the Cincinnati game. After that, he wore a brace to protect the shoulder. He indicated further that the brace restricted his movements, particularly when extending his arms to catch the ball. Did this limit his impact in the final three games of the season? The question is raised to suggest that Taylor has plenty of room to increase his contributions.
Regardless, Taylor had the shoulder repaired this offseason, and he feels fully recovered. Now, a healthy Taylor leads WVU’s tight end room heading into the season.
Staying on the Field
Taylor used the downtime that his recovery required to work on himself, particularly his lower body strength. In his August 9 interview with the media, Taylor observed that taller tight ends like him (he stands at six feet, seven inches) tend to struggle with lower body strength. He said that he focused on improvement there because “[t]he more lower body strength I have, the more involved I can be in the run game.”
In his August 7 interview with the media, Head Coach Neal Brown said the Mountaineers “ask [their] tight ends to do a lot.” In addition to blocking, they focus on tight ends “being physical at the top of [their] routes.” A healthy labrum will certainly allow Taylor to do that. The added vertical leaping that comes with increased lower body strength will help, too.
Ultimately, Taylor focuses on being involved in the run game because he does not want to be off the field. The more he is there, the more opportunities he has. Living with Greene and working out with him during the Summer in Mobile certainly helps build the trust between the two. Taylor believes that when he is in the game, Greene will factor that presence heavily into his decision-making. For a player named to the John Mackey Award watch list, those opportunities matter. That said, Taylor’s primary goal is a team goal: a “Big 12 championship is the first goal we want.”
Don’t Overlook Davis
As Brown said, the Mountaineers ask their tight ends to do a lot. Offering an extra blocker has traditionally been the first role they play. Junior Treylan Davis plays that role well.
Despite limited production as a receiver, Davis played in over 40% of the Mountaineers’ regular season offensive snaps last season. They rely on him heavily. Indeed, West Virginia runs plenty of 12 personnel (two tight ends and one running back) sets. Davis may still advance on the receiving side, but his blocking prowess makes him a valuable contributor.
What About the Rest?
While a healthy Taylor leads the tight end room, West Virginia enters the season with six total scholarships for the position. Only two tight ends other than Taylor and Davis saw the field in 2023. Victor Wikstrom, who has since retired from football, logged 23 snaps. Will Dixon logged 11. Precisely because the Mountaineers ask so much of their tight ends, young tight ends rarely make immediate contributions. Dixon returns to the room as a sophomore. He should see his playing time increase.
One name, however, comes up regularly in staff and player interviews: Gregory Genross. He joins the Mountaineers from Dodge City Community College. Like Taylor, Genross, standing at six feet six inches, offers a big target. Genross may be raw, and his biggest impact may come next season. That said, he remains a name to watch as the season progresses and he learns more about the role the staff will ask him to play in Morgantown.
Noah Braham and Jack Sammarco both round out the room, though we do not expect to hear their names much through 2024, based on their youth (both are freshmen, though Braham carries a redshirt).
