After prolific career at Division III Tufts, Lutz aims to catch on with Blue Hens

Phil Lutz caught 10 passes for 237 yards and six touchdowns in a football game last fall.

And now he is a Blue Hen.

Delaware won’t expect such single-game abundance from Lutz, though, with its up-tempo pass-oriented attack, piling up prolific offensive numbers will be the goal every game.

Lutz was a D3football.com third-team All-American last fall at Tufts University in Boston. As one of 16 wide receivers on the UD roster in preseason camp, the graduate transfer simply seeks to contribute however he can when the 22nd-ranked Blue Hens open on Aug. 31 at CAA rival Stony Brook.

Certainly, he has shown the potential.

“There’s no question from the coaching staff that he can play at this level, so we’re excited to have him,” Delaware wide receivers coach Terrence Archer said.

“If you dig deep in the transfer portal there are some guys out there who are really good players at different levels and sometimes they’re worth going after. He’s a fifth-year, smart, mature, good teammate and that’s the kinda guys we want to fill our room with.”

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Lutz caught 78 passes for 1,221 yards, which ranked No. 2 nationally in Division III, and 14 touchdowns, which ranked fourth, in nine 2022 games for the 6-3 Jumbos, members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

“I think the biggest thing there is just confidence,” Lutz said of now playing at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level at Delaware. “Confidence in your game. Confidence in your ability to compete with those guys that are bigger, faster, stronger more than you’re used to.”

His 6-touchdown day came in a 65-34 season-ending win against visiting Middlebury.

Only one Delaware player has ever had more receiving yards in a game – Eddie Conti is his epic 354-yard day at UConn in 1998. Only Conti and Jamin Elliott (2000) have had more pass-catching yards in a season than Lutz had last fall at Tufts.

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“I wanted to challenge myself playing against better competition compared to where I was,” Lutz said. “The guys I was playing with in Division III, they were definitely great players. The competition there was amazing. But I just kinda wanted to get that viewpoint of both playing Division I and Division III football.”

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Lutz is from North Caldwell, New Jersey, and played football and lacrosse at West Essex High. He red-shirted as a freshman in 2019 and didn’t play in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Tufts from having a season.

Over the last two seasons, he caught 152 passes for 2,268 yards and 18 touchdowns. Lutz then graduated last spring with a degree in history and, seeking to continue playing at a higher level, came to Delaware to pursue a master’s degree in business administration.

“I knew I wanted to play a fifth year,” said Lutz, who was also wooed by some of Delaware’s CAA rivals. “I was kinda 50-50 throughout the spring whether I wanted to stay at Tufts or make the jump up to Division I.

“Ultimately, I decided to make that jump and I was talking to coach Archer the most and I came down and visited. Loved the campus, loved the coaching staff, and I think it’s been a great fit since. I’m happy I did it.”

The Blue Hens are certainly deep at wide receiver with proven returnees such as Jourdan Townsend, Mount Pleasant High grad James Collins and Chandler Harvin, but will regularly rotate players. Zane Lewis, who came from Division II Shepherd University, and Jalyn Witcher are second-year transfers aiming to earn a role.

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Harvard transfer Kym Wimberly quickly appeared comfortable and capable after coming to Delaware last spring. Smyrna grad Makhi Jackson is “probably the most improved guy in my room since I got here,” Archer said, and transfers Joshua Youngblood from Rutgers and JoJo Bermudez from Cincinnati show great promise.

“I think everything’s been going well so far,” Lutz said. “That little gap – the DIII to DI gap – is definitely there, it’s prevalent. But with training and confidence it’s basically just how are you playing compared to your competition?”

So far, Lutz has shown he belongs.

“We really liked his film,” Archer said, “but, obviously, it was a different level so you don’t know what you’re gonna get when he shows up.

“But he’s done a great job. He’s fit right in. He’s made some plays down the field. He’s a really good possession receiver. He’s got strong hands. So we’ve been pleasantly surprised with Phil."

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Tufts transfer Phil Lutz aims to produce with FCS Delaware Blue Hens