Three CUSA teams scored 30+ points per game last season, and only one averaged less than 20 (UTEP at 19.9). However, only one tight end had more than 370 yards, with just five surpassing 200. Four of those five return to lead the 2024 CUSA TE rankings, but the No. 1 spot is uncontested.
CUSA 2024 TE Rankings
10) Trevor Stephens/Hunter Talley, New Mexico State Aggies
It’s anyone’s guess who will start at tight end for the new-look New Mexico State Aggies. Eli Stowers followed head coach Jerry Kill and quarterback Diego Pavia to Vanderbilt, leaving the position in a state of flux.
Trevor Stephens is the only returning TE who even saw the field last year, taking his lone target for 17 yards. Hunter Talley is the other option, coming over from Arkansas, where he sat on the bench for his first two seasons.
If the Aggies aren’t thrilled about either of those two, there are also JUCO transfers Ethan Wood and Noah Armijo.
9) Eli Finley/John Locke, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Tight ends weren’t featured in LA Tech’s offense last season, with starter Ryan Rivera finishing with 13 catches and 174 yards. With Rivera now gone, the Bulldogs will turn to Eli Finley and John Locke at the position. Both caught two passes last year, with Finley gaining 10 yards and Locke recording four with a touchdown.
8) Marcus Vinson/Judah Ezinwa, UTEP Miners
Like LA Tech, UTEP rarely looked its tight ends’ way, with starter Zach Fryar posting a 10-59-1 receiving line. With Fryar out of eligibility, the Miners will need one of Marcus Vinson and Judah Ezinwa to step up.
Vinson started a game last season but only had three receptions, 40 yards, and a score on the year after transferring in from Kilgore College. Ezinwa was also a JUCO transfer, as he generated a 12-147-2 line at Mt. San Antonio College during the 2022 season.
7) Elijah Sohn, Sam Houston Bearkats
Our first semi-productive player on the 2024 CUSA TE rankings! Elijah Sohn actually began his collegiate career as a swimmer at SMU but decided to hang up his goggles in favor of a helmet prior to the 2022 season.
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Sohn transferred to Sam Houston and spent his first year adapting to the sport. However, he won the first-team job in 2023 and proved to be efficient, taking 15 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns. With a year of significant reps under his belt, Sohn could be even more productive in Year 3.
6) Carson Kent, Kennesaw State Owls
The 2023 season wasn’t kind to Kennesaw State, as the program went 3-6 as an FCS independent. Nevertheless, it was Carson Kent’s coming-out party, as the redshirt freshman ranked third in receiving yards (165) and second in receptions (14) on the team.
At 6’4″ and 240 pounds, Kent has a well-built, athletic frame that should translate well to the CUSA.
5) Rocky Beers, FIU Panthers
Three FIU tight ends caught over 10 passes last season; chief among them was Rocky Beers. As a redshirt sophomore, Beers hauled in 18 passes for 158 yards and a TD. He was deployed as a short-yardage threat and showcased a penchant for picking up yards after the catch.
With Jackson McDonald off to the NFL and star WR Kris Mitchell now at Notre Dame, the Panthers could lean on Beers more in 2024.
4) Bentley Hanshaw, Liberty Flames
Bentley Hanshaw’s 18 receptions and 219 yards aren’t all that impressive, but his six TDs ranked sixth nationally among TEs.
Quarterback Kaidon Salter obviously looked his way often in the red zone and should do so again in 2024. But what sets Hanshaw apart from the others lower on the list is how he is utilized, as Liberty often sent to the intermediate and deep areas of the field.
3) River Helms, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
After two years on the bench, River Helms finally got his shot as the Hilltoppers’ TE1 last season. Western Kentucky’s offense is well-known for its aerial onslaught, and Helms certainly contributed to the effort with a 22-289-3 line.
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He saw more action in the slot than most on the 2024 CUSA TE rankings and exhibited the smooth athleticism needed to make defenders miss in the open field.
2) Sean Brown, Jacksonville State Gamecocks
A transfer from Tennessee, Sean Brown has been a star for Jacksonville State, making three straight all-conference teams (2021-22 ASUN, 2023 CUSA). After posting 331 yards and a score on 18 catches in 2022, Brown was added to the John Mackey Award watch list. And after a 19-294-5 showing in 2023, he has once again graced the list this offseason.
The 6’5″, and 250-pound TE is an obvious red-zone threat, but Brown has also split his time from the slot, using his big body to create separation over the middle.
1) Holden Willis, Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
All other players on the 2024 CUSA TE rankings are talented and deserve their placements, but all pale in comparison to Holden Willis. After beginning his career at USF, Willis transferred to MTSU last offseason and quickly became a top target.
In his first season, he racked up 46 receptions, 697 yards (most on the team), and five touchdowns, earning first-team All-CUSA recognition.
KEEP READING: 2024 Conference USA Power Rankings
Now, Willis stands at 6’4″ and 212 pounds, blurring the line between WR and TE. He spends most of his time in the slot and actually saw more snaps out wide than inline. Still, the school lists him as a tight end, and so will we.
With impressive versatility, contested-catch appeal, and open-field wiggle, it’s easy to understand why the Shrine Bowl included Willis on their 1,000-player watch list.
2024 CUSA TE Rankings | 11-20
11) Elliott Davison, UTSA
12) Jaelen Stokes, Caqavouis Berryhill, and D’Marco Augustin, USF
13) Greg Rubin, Memphis
14) Ray Thornton III, Ricky Lee III, and Chris Bracy, UAB
15) Bailey Despanie and Jalen Geiger, Tulane
16) Eltayeb Bushra, Charlotte
17) Jayden Hill, North Texas
18) Mbiti Williams Jr., Navy
19) Wendol Philord, FAU
20) Andreas Keaton, Temple
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