Ttight end talent is palpable for Idaho football team

Apr. 6—The tight ends on the Idaho football team are a crucial part of its offense, which isn't surprising given the background of offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner.

However, the Vandals' offense featured an All-American and an all-conference receiver the last two years, so the position took a backseat in the passing game.

Schleusner coached TEs at South Dakota State for six seasons and helped players like Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Godert achieve All-American status.

Schleusner has gradually gotten the tight ends more involved and 2024 might be the group's break-out year.

A silent presence

Idaho's tight ends don't usually post big numbers, but they're on the field a lot.

The Vandals often use multiple tight end sets and are strategic in what they do with their big-bodied pass catchers.

Idaho typically has one player in the trenches with the offensive line and another split out wide in hopes of a mismatch.

The Vandals didn't have the depth for this to work two years ago, but senior Connor Whitney ranked third on the team in receiving yards (242 yards). He trailed the second-leading receiver, Jermaine Jackson, by more than 800 yards.

Idaho's production picked up significantly the following year with the addition of TJ Ivy Jr. and the development of Jake Cox and Alex Moore.

Ivy was a problem in the open field and had an 80-yard touchdown reception on the first play from scrimmage in a 33-6 win against Nevada on Sept. 9.

Ivy paced the Vandals' tight ends with 16 receptions for 287 yards. He declared for the 2024 NFL draft.

Idaho does retain redshirt juniors Moore and Cox, the latter of whom was the team's starting tight end a year ago.

Cox continues to develop in his role

Cox is an old-school, hand-in-the-dirt tight end.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder played in all 13 games for the Vandals last season and was one of the team's best blockers. He was also a reliable outlet pass for a quarterback under duress.

"He's really gritty," Idaho tight ends coach Tyler Sutton said. "He does a good job of accelerating on contact in the run game and finding ways to contort his body to stay on blocks. ... He really loves football, so he's a student of the game, so he has a really good idea of what's going to happen before it actually does."

The El Paso, Texas, native fits Idaho's blocking tight end role perfectly, and the coaching staff is still finding ways to expand his role.

"We know as an offense we can count on Jake," Sutton said. "Really proud of him and how hard he's working and continuing to develop his role. We know when the going gets tough, that's when he's going to be at his best. We wish we had more guys like him."

The Vandals' starting tight end had 12 receptions for 95 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Cox notched his first career score in the Vandals' 42-17 win over Lamar on Aug. 31.

Moore's redemption arc

Moore is almost unrecognizable from when he first arrived on campus.

The San Diego native was 30 pounds lighter and played receiver. He made the switch to TE in 2022 and showed flashes early. But he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for most the year.

The 6-6, 240-pounder finally showed his stuff in 2023 and got better as the year went on. He finished the season with 10 receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

"He had a rough go," Sutton said. "He had some real flashes, and he got hurt. I think the time spent just getting himself back (to) trusting his legs and gaining the strength he may have missed out on (helped). You see, a lot of guys' bodies are kind of going downhill at the end of the year. You can see him accelerating (at that time). So constantly giving him confidence and showing him when you do this well, man, you're unstoppable."

Moore's 6-6 frame is hard for any defender to cover, and his background as a receiver opens the door for potential circus catches. He's already made a few during Idaho's spring camp.

"He already had all that extra knowledge with coverage and how to win with techniques and the routes," Sutton said. "Having that confidence to play bigger than he is and put his dominance on the field — he should continue to get better developing in the run game. It's going to be really hard to have a game plan against those two."

Moore also recorded his first career TD reception last year, a 15-yard grab in the third quarter against the WolfPack.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks