Will Mallory Beginning To Emerge At Tight End

Coming into the 2019 season, one of the bright spots for the Hurricanes was the two playmakers they had at tight end, with sophomores Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory. It was expected that both would have breakout seasons, as the two-headed monster prepared for their second year with the Canes.

Jordan has lived up to the hype, earning 1st team All-ACC and also being named a finalist for the Mackey Award, establishing himself as one of the top tight ends in the nation.

Mallory struggled early in the season, with a couple noticeable drops in the first few games, though his talent was obvious whenever you saw him play. He caught a touchdown against North Carolina, and had a few catches in the Central Michigan game, but wasn’t targeted for a month after that.

However, Jordan was sidelined due to injury following the Florida State win in early November, thrusting Mallory into the starting role at tight end. Against Louisville, the lone catch he had was a 17-yard touchdown from Jarren Williams.

Then in the final two games, though they resulted in losses to FIU and Duke, Mallory was perhaps Miami’s most reliable target in the passing game. Over those last two weeks, Mallory combined for 8 receptions for 164 yards.

Filling in for the injured Jordan, Mallory showed the potential he’s been praised for ever since he arrived at Miami. Against Duke, Mallory especially showed off his skills in the open field, averaging 23.3 yards per catch for a career high 93 yards in total for the day.

It seems Mallory needed the repetitions these past few weeks to increase his confidence, and it clearly worked. Looking ahead to 2020, if Miami can find a way to use him and Jordan together in a dual-TE package, then the Hurricanes offense will make significant leaps and improve.