Previous position breakdowns:
Today we continue the position breakdowns for the 2013 football season and focus on the Tight Ends. This should be a pretty solid and deep group on the offense. Let’s see who we have…
Gerald Christian
RS Junior
6’3 242 lbs
Christian comes to the Cards after transferring from the Florida Gators. He sat out last season so he is ready to go this year. Some have gone so far as to say that Christian is the 2nd best football player on the whole team behind Teddy Bridgewater! That is pretty high praise.
Coming out of high school, Christian was rated a 4 star player and 2nd best tight end in the country by Rivals. He played in 8 games as a red-shirt freshman at Florida, but mainly just in goal-line and field goal packages. He figures to be a big part of the Cards offensive attack this season.
Ryan Hubbell
Senior
6’5 227 lbs
Hubbell had a decent junior season for the Cards. He had 14 catches for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the regular season finale at Rutgers, Hubbell had 3 catches (season high) for 44 yards. At media day, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson called Hubbell the most consistent tight end this past summer. Look for him to bring senior leadership to the position as well.
Zeke Pike
RS Freshman
6’6 251 lbs
Pike is another transfer into the program, coming from Auburn. He enrolled there in January of 2012 but never made it to the season, as he left because of off the field issues. He came to Louisville and is playing tight end, although he did not go to Auburn to play that position. He went as a quarterback.
Playing for Dixie Heights High School in Fort Mitchell, KY, Pike was rated as the 16th best pro-style QB in the country and 2nd best player in the state according to Rivals. He had offers to pretty much every big school you could name. At 6’6 and 251 lbs, he brings good size and athleticism to the position.
Hunter Bowles
RS Freshman
6’6 265 lbs
Bowles redshirted last season, and he will look to add depth to the tight end spot this year. As a senior in high school, he had 20 catches for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns at Glasgow High School in Kentucky.
B.J. Butler
Senior
6’2 274 lbs
Butler was one of the biggest recruits in Charlie Strong’s first class. He was far from a tight end though; he was actually a defensive lineman! In 2010 as a true freshman, he played in 12 games, starting in 7 of them. As a sophomore, it was much of the same. He had 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks for the season.
Last year he had 12 tackles and 1 sack, but his biggest contribution probably came on the offensive side of the ball in the Sugar Bowl. He caught a pass and rumbled for 23 yards all the way to the goal-line.
This year you will see Butler lining up at either fullback or tight end. Either way, that is one big blocker for our running backs!
Keith Towbridge
Freshman
6’5 263 lbs
One of the most impressive players in the 2 open practices this week has been this big freshman. As a senior, he had 28 catches for 410 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was ranked the 5th best tight end in Ohio last year. He is someone you could see play this year and make an impact.
Other tight end with little or no info in his bio…
Tyler Polston Freshman 6’3 229 lbs
My Outlook:
I am very excited to see what Gerald Christian can do out on the field. If he can live up to the hype, then that just gives Teddy another weapon out there. To say he is the 2nd best player on the team is a lot. He did impress me in the spring game, so he should be a threat in the offense.
Shawn Watson did say that Hubbell has been the most consistent, so that is good to hear that we will have some depth with him and Christian at least. I am interested to see if Zeke Pike contributes as a tight end. I also see B.J. Butler getting his time on the field, but probably more like a fullback than a tight end. He is one big boy to put out there as a lead blocker! I also can see Towbridge getting in there and making an impact, maybe not right away, but eventually this season.
Tomorrow I will bring you the breakdown of the Offensive Line!
JR
*Some info came from GoCards.com.
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