Tight-end group shows promise
Dalton Schultz is a redshirt junior, years removed from his recruiting days, but the tight end still remembers why he got excited about Stanford football. He would watch games and notice Stanford using formations with three tight ends. They were all productive, too: Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo are playing in the NFL.
When Shultz looks at his tight-end group now, he can envision a similar situation, even though he’s the only one on the roster with a collegiate catch to his name. The players behind him are just that good.
The two players who could form the rest of a powerful tightend trio this season, redshirt freshmen Kaden Smith and Scooter Harrington, were considered nationally to be top-10 recruits. Even the tight ends likely redshirting this season, freshmen Colby Parkinson and Tucker Fisk, were top recruits.
It’s a loaded position group, and Schultz is all for it.
“That’s been one of my big goals coming here, to be part of not only a great system that uses tight ends well, but a tight-end group that all get on the field,” Schultz said.
Last season, Schultz was the only tight end who received significant playing time, as Stanford dealt with both injuries and a lack of depth. He caught 23 passes for 222 yards, but was used almost exclusively as a “Y” tight end.
Now, Schultz is getting to play all over the field, including split wide and in the slot. He has more competition for his starting job, but that also grants him more positional freedom, which explains why the group doesn’t seem upset by the increased competition.
“Between the three of us, it’s a fight,” Smith said. “We’re definitely coaching each other up every play, cheering each other on and hoping we all get playing time.” Stanford head coach David
Shaw, who says he can’t have too much talent at one position, has been taking advantage of his tight-end depth by splitting the group onto two fields for increased reps. If Stanford does what it has done in the past, though, all three tight ends occasionally will be on the field at the same time.
“We’ll find different roles for all those guys,” Shaw said Sunday. “Scooter Harrington and Kaden Smith are first years, but those guys are going to play. Along with Dalton Schultz, it’s a really good group of three.”
Alfieri returns: Senior linebacker Joey Alfieri returned to practice in full Thursday after missing parts of the past week with an upper body injury. As Stanford’s fourth-leading tackler last season, the linebacker is expected to be a leader.