Rising 2024 Texas Tight Ends

Jake Lemming

July 29, 2021 @ 12:47 PM

Today we looked at some of Texas' top sophomore tight-end prospects entering the 2021 season. Some of the players featured on this list excelled at the varsity level as freshmen, while others made their presence felt on the lower levels. Here's who to know as we head into the fall! <hr /> [player_tooltip player_id="146595" first="Ian" last="Flynt"], 6'4", 230, Taylor<img class="alignleft" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4Q8JDiWEA0Ngyv?format=jpg&name=large" alt="Image" width="182" height="242" /> The surefire number one overall tight end prospect in the state of Texas in the 2024 class. Flynt shows soft hands, the ability to catch the football in traffic, and an overwhelming presence as a blocker. He plays with great knee bend, adequate hand placement, and a non-stop motor. Ian is effective off play-action, slipping into the flats and getting the ball into his hands quickly. He's strong at the point of attack & can quickly create vertical movement against on-ball defenders. His mixture of size and innate blocking ability make him a really interesting tight-end prospect in the 2024 class. Kaleb Thomas, 6'3", 220, North Shore Thomas is filthy after the catch and can stop & start at the drop of a hat. He's nimble with the ball in his hands and can make you miss with his elusive cutting ability or by simply just running you over. He barges through arm, tackles almost effortlessly, and looks to punish attempted tacklers. This young man is so athletic that they even gave him jet sweeps in 2020. Thomas is a mismatch in-line against linebackers and uses his blazing speed to simply buzz past them. If he displays his ability as an inline blocker as a sophomore, I think you're looking at a no-brainer Power-Five tight end. [player_tooltip player_id="148287" first="Bradan" last="Manning"], 6'3", 205, Elysian Fields<img class="alignleft" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1158198048851484678/Z3LSMsPg_400x400.jpg" alt="[player_tooltip player_id=" width="233" height="233" /> Manning played the 2020 season as a wide receiver and was flat-out dominant, going for 1,005 yards and 14 touchdowns. Based on his length, weight, and ability as a blocker on the perimeter, I think he projects very well as a tight end at the next level. You're looking at a serious deep ball threat with plenty of build-up speed behind him. He's dominant in 50/50 ball situations and smoothly plucks the football out of the air. Manning shows outstanding body control to go with excellent concentration. He's a goal-line nightmare who you can simply throw the fade ball to in 1 on 1 matchups. [player_tooltip player_id='276044' first='Jaden' last='Wincher'], 6'2", 235, Clear Brook<img class="alignright" src="https://static.hudl.com/users/prod/15208704_ff491a202f364d2a96a7bc80083e267c.jpg" width="208" height="208" /> Wincher is a really interesting athlete who has potential at a couple of different positions on the field. I chose to list him as a tight end based on his sheer size, hands, and physical running style with the ball in his hands. He shows outstanding contact balance and always seems to bounce off the first tackle attempt. He looks to deliver punishing blows as a blocker, even de-cleating defenders at times. He's fantastic near the goal line and has an inkling for finding pay dirt. Jaden has a violent stiff arm in his back pocket that he uses to make defenders pay. <hr /> Other Names to Watch Tavarean Grimes, 6'3", 225, College Station [player_tooltip player_id='277691' first='Cooper' last='Stevens'], 6'2", 205, Cy-Fair Greco Davila-Torres, 6'5", 230, Cypress Ridge