That’s the motto for the “TE Bros.”
The nearly unknown position of tight end on the Hoosiers roster comes into the 2015 season under the radar.
No hype for production.
No hype for inexperience.
No hype for injury recoveries.
Production was practically stagnant in 2014, as the group accounted for 10 receptions in its entirety; however, the group comes into the season littered with experience, as three of the five players are seniors.
The only injury that hit the tight ends last season was to Danny Friend, who missed the entire season with a knee injury, but he is back in action at full speed.
The only question surrounding the Hoosiers’ tight end position is who is going to start.
“We don’t think we need one superstar guy,” senior tight end Anthony Corsaro said.
One superstar tight end might not even be an option for the Hoosiers, as none of the five tight ends have the résumé of a top tight end in the Big Ten.
Corsaro, who received his final scholarship this week, walked on at IU from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.
Senior Michael Cooper has the most experience of the bunch, as he was a backup tight end at Arizona before transferring to IU in 2013.
Sophomore Danny Friend was a defensive recruit in 2013 after he recorded 56 tackles and 7 sacks in his senior season at Morris High School in Illinois.
Sophomore Jordan Fuchs didn’t play football until his junior year of high school, but he received 15 Division I scholarship offers for basketball.
Senior Sean Damaska had never played football before college, but he did average 13 points and 8 rebounds per game playing basketball at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Georgia.
“Whatever they ask us to do, we’ll do,” Corsaro said. “We like catching the ball, obviously. We want to be playmakers. If we need to block or pass block or catch the ball, we’re going to do all those things to the best of our ability. Just answering the bell when our number is called.”
The tight end-by-committee strategy is being embraced by the Hoosiers, as IU Coach Kevin Wilson has repeatedly mentioned the advantages of depth at the tight end position in summer camp.
“We want to have at least two of us out on the field at all times if we can make our presence felt so much that Coach Wilson feels like he needs to do that,” Corsaro said.
Along with the offensive line, the tight ends made their presence felt in the blocking schemes in 2014, allowing the Hoosiers’ rushing attack to explode for 3,163 yards, including former running back Tevin Coleman’s historic 2,036 yards and 15 touchdowns.
With the receiving corps still unproven and passes no longer coming from a freshman quarterback, there’s a possibility the tight ends could see more receiving opportunities than in 2014.
“I wouldn’t say more excitement, but our sense of urgency is a lot higher,” Corsaro said about an increased receiving opportunity. “I’m just excited for us to compete and win games because I think we have a chance to do a lot of things that people may not expect from us.”
At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Corsaro has the stature to catch passes at the tight end position. So does the 6-foot-6, 233-pound Fuchs.
Cooper, who stands at 6-foot-5, 257 pounds, and Friend, who is 6-foot-5, 261 pounds, could maintain the blocking responsibilities for the position.
Regardless of who gets the passes, though, the passes will be coming from senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
“Suddy makes the whole team a lot better,” Cooper said. “He pushes us to be the best players we can be, and this offseason, we knew we had to be a bigger part of the pass game. We put in a lot of work to try to get that coordination down.”
The tight end group was the last group off the practice field Thursday, and, in skeleton drills, Corsaro and company could be seen catching touchdown passes off of post routes in the seam of the defense.
“There’s really no secret ingredient,” Corsaro said. “Just putting the time in. Suddy’s a really smart quarterback, and he really works hard. We try to get in the film room with him and get on the field with him. Get some extra reps and just take advantage of the reps we do have. You can’t have days where you don’t show up. We work hard because you can lose that timing real quick, so just showing up every day ready to work and ready to give him our best.”
One of the most tight-knit position groups among the Hoosiers, the tight end group takes no glory in their own accomplishments, the seniors said.
When one tight end makes a play or scores a touchdown, the entire group is right there to celebrate with him, Cooper said.
“We’re all each other’s biggest critic, but also each other’s biggest fan because we know that the more strength we have in our unit is more strength we have individually,” Corsaro said.
