Spring Preview: The Tight Ends

AMES, Iowa - Spring football is right around the corner. Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell is entering his fourth season in Ames and aiming to keep the momentum of back-to-back eight-win seasons going.

Cyclones.com will preview each position in the upcoming weeks. Today we take a look at the tight ends.

The Tight Ends

Synopsis
The tight end position will be loaded in 2019.

The Cyclones return a pair of All-Big 12 performers and have quality depth behind them.

Charlie Kolar (6-6, 250, So.#, Norman, Okla.) was perhaps one of ISU's biggest surprises in 2018, earning second-team All-Big 12 accolades. Kolar is big, fast and proved to have excellent hands in a breakout rookie season where he caught 11 passes for 137 yards.

Kolar's three touchdown catches ranked third on the team and tied for third all-time on the school's freshman record list. He has a chance to be one of the best at the position in the history of the program.

Chase Allen (6-7, 240, Jr.#, Nixa, Mo.) forms ISU's dual-threat at tight end. Allen, who was a second-team All-Big 12 choice in 2017, battled injuries last year, which allowed Kolar to step up. He still managed to catch eight passes for 84 yards and is now healing from offseason surgery.

The Cyclones also return Dylan Soehner (6-7, 271, Jr.#, Prairie Grove, Ark.), who has started three games in his career.

Soehner is an outstanding blocker who is used in ISU's power formations.

Finding the replacement for All-Big 12 performer Sam Seonbuchner at the F position will be paramount this spring.

Besides Soehner, a couple of other possibilities are Jared Rus (6-2, 208, Fr.#, Eldridge, Iowa) and Zach Silbermann (6-0, 226, Jr.#, Chagrin Falls, Ohio).

Rus is a walk-on who was a scout team running back in 2018. The coaching staff was impressed with his toughness and moved him to the F spot to begin the spring.

Silbermann enters his fourth season in the program and is recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him in 2018.

Campbell On The Tight Ends
"Our tight ends in general really excite me. If you look back to last year, 40 percent of our snaps we were in two-tight end personnel, and over 12 percent of our snaps was three-tight end personnel. We have a lot of guys back who were a huge part of our success a year ago. I think their roles will only continue to expand because not only were they successful with what we did nationally, they're maybe some of the best players at that position in the country. I think to watch that group and that room take the next step is going to be really rewarding. Guys like Charlie Kolar and Chase Allen are back. Losing Sam Seonbuchner, I don't know if there's a guy in the program ready to take that spot, but I think there are lot of guys aiming to take that spot. It's going to be really fun to watch that group compete for that opportunity, and Dylan Soehner is a guy that's big enough to handle a lot of those reps because he can line up anywhere. He can line up flexed, attached, and at that F spot. He's a really unique football player and I think you will only see his role expand in our offense."

Players Mentioned

Chase Allen

Charlie Kolar

Jared Rus

Sam Seonbuchner

Dylan Soehner

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