Top 10 tight ends to watch out for in Week 9 of college football ft. Harold Fannin Jr.
Defenses keep tightening up, but college football has a wealth of great tight ends. Big, agile and mobile, these young stars can block, catch, and generally decimate opposing defenses.
Here are 10 particularly impressive tight ends to keep an eye on in college football's Week 9 action.
Top 10 tight ends to watch out for in Week 9
#10. Brant Kuithe, Utah
The grand old man of the list at 25 years old, Kuithe is still making plays. He has 26 catches for 369 yards, both of which are second-best on Utah's team. His four scores lead the team as well. As the Utes try to get their awful offense back on track, they'd be wise to keep up with Kuithe.
#9. Holden Willis, Middle Tennessee State
Willis is off an eight-catch, 92-yard performance last week, which jumped him to 33 grabs for 491 yards on the season. At 6-foot-4, he's an excellent red zone target for Middle Tennessee, and he'll face Jacksonville State on Wednesday night.
#8. Joe Royer, Cincinnati
A 6-foot-5 senior, Royer made the move to transfer over from Ohio State, where he just added depth to Cincinnati. With the Bearcats, he has 32 catches for 388 yards. Each of those totals is second-best on the team. This week, Royer faces Colorado.
#7. Oronde Gadsden, Syracuse
A 6-foot-5 star who missed almost the entire 2023 season due to injury, Gadsden is helping Kyle McCord jump-start the Syracuse Orange passing game. He has 32 catches for 433 yards and three scores, which ranks him as one of the big three receiving targets for Syracuse, who will seek to shore up their bowl situation against unbeaten Pittsburgh.
#6. Mason Taylor, LSU
A reliable junior tight end, Mason has been a standout for the Tigers. He ties for the team-high with 36 catches and has 348 yards. The 6-foot-6 target could be significant in the red zone this week against Texas A&M, as his massive size and ball skills make him a key part of the Tigers' offense.
#5. Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
A one-time QB who transferred in from New Mexico State, Vandy has found plenty of use for Stowers. He's the go-to target for Vandy with 33 catches for 463 yards and two scores. Last week against Ball State, Stowers caught eight passes for 130 yards and a score. He faces Texas this week.
#4. Tanner Koziol, Ball State
At 6-foot-7, Koziol is a hard player to miss. Koziol's 55 catches, 502 receiving yards and four touchdowns are all tops on the Cardinal team. Even more impressive, 44 of his catches have come over the past five games (that's nine, nine, nine, eight and nine catches). The consistent standout faces Northern Illinois next.
#3. Colston Loveland, Michigan
Loveland will be an NFL prospect, but he is a bit underused in the Wolverines' passing game. Loveland's 36 catches, 344 yards and two touchdowns are all tops on the team by a wide margin. The Wolverines play Michigan State next, and Loveland will try to jumpstart the crawling UM offense.
#2. Tyler Warren, Penn State
Warren is an outstanding senior pass catcher. The 6-foot-6 standout has 40 catches for 513 yards and four touchdowns. In Penn State's last game, Warren hauled in 17 catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Each of these nearly doubled Warren's yearly totals. Can he continue that trend against Wisconsin?
#1. Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Fannin is simply having an all-time season at tight end. A 6-foot-4 junior, Fannin has been astonishingly good for the Falcons. He has 60 receptions for 873 yards, each of which leads the nation's tight ends by a good chunk. Fannin has also posted five 100+ yard games this year.
Furthermore, he has more catches than BGSU's second, third and fourth leading receivers combined. Fannin also has more receiving yards than the rest of the team combined. He could top 1,000 yards on the year against Toledo.
Which tight ends will you be watching in Week 9? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.