Fresh Faces Join Standout Horton In Tight Ends Room

If last season indicates James Madison’s usage of its tight ends, they’re in for another big year this fall.
Last season, quarterback Todd Centeio utilized his tight ends, which resulted in 32 catches, 380 receiving yards, and four touchdowns between Drew Painter and Zach Horton.
Painter is out of eligibility — he’s still around the program as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant — which opened the door for Horton’s role to expand even more.
But while he’s slated to be the Dukes’ top tight end, head coach Curt Cignetti added a pair of experienced transfers to bolster the position’s depth in year No. 2 of Sun Belt Conference play.
Position Outlook
Departing Players: Drew Painter (graduation), Noah Turner (graduation), Kelly Mitchell (transfer portal).
Returning Players: Gabriel Hollingsworth (redshirt junior), Zach Horton (junior), Jordan Funk (transitioned from DL, junior), Cooper Thunell (redshirt sophomore).
Additions: Kyi Wright (Pittsburgh transfer, redshirt junior), Taylor Thompson (Charlotte transfer, junior), Collin Carroll (freshman), Josh Phifer (freshman).
What We Know
After Zach Horton didn’t record a catch in the eight games he appeared in during his freshman season, the Roanoke native quickly became a well-rounded tight end last fall.
He played in all 11 games, made five starts, and recorded 159 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just 13 catches. While his offensive production skyrocketed, so did his run-blocking skills.
Horton wasn’t just the best run-blocking tight end on the team, but he was the best in the Sun Belt Conference and the 15th best in the country with a 79.3 run-blocking rating from Pro Football Focus (minimum 100 snaps).
While Horton made strides in his sophomore season and most likely solidified himself as the team’s go-to tight end, JMU brought in two transfers to help build depth at the position.
Cignetti added Charlotte transfer Taylor Thompson, who is a genuine threat in the passing game, and Pittsburgh transfer Kyi Wright over the offseason.
“We return Horton, who we really like,” Cignetti said after the two transfers arrived on campus in January. “He’s got two years of eligibility. [We] did a lot of two tight end stuff last year. …I thought it was important that we get a couple of guys at that position.”
Thompson caught 44 passes for 580 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons with the 49ers, while Wright, a former high school quarterback, made four receptions for 37 yards in 25 games as a run-blocking tight end with the Panthers.
In addition to the two transfers, Cignetti and the Dukes moved Jordan Funk from the defensive line, where he spent his first two seasons in Harrisonburg, to tight end to bolster the depth at the position even more.
What We Don’t
Like the wide receivers, JMU signed talented high school tight ends, but with the veteran depth in front of them, it is a tall task for the young players to fight for playing time on offense this fall.
But like the wide receivers, there’s one spot that the freshmen could see the field quickly: on special teams.
The special teams unit lacked substantial depth when injuries began to mount, so the added bodies in the tight end room should help eliminate that problem for the 2023 campaign.
But if the freshmen tight ends end up on the field with the offense, they’re capable of doing what they need to do.
Carroll is an experienced pass catcher with more than 2,000 receiving yards in his four-year career at Mountain View High School in Stafford. Additionally, he led the Wildcats in yards per catch in all four seasons.
Phifer, a three-star recruit, was an all-state tight end in Georgia this past fall, while he was also a state qualifier in discus as a two-sport athlete.
The ‘X’ Factor
Thompson, a versatile tight end, might be one of the most significant impact transfers that JMU signed this offseason.
The 6-foot-3, 231-pound, Prattville, Ala., native has the look of a next-level tight end and the ability to take advantage of space downfield. The Dukes could utilize Thompson as a traditional tight end, but they could also feature him with the wide receivers to mimic a big-bodied wideout.
His skillset of both route running and run blocking will be quickly felt, but so will his pass blocking. According to PFF, Thompson’s pass block rating of 75.9 would have been the highest among JMU’s tight ends a year ago.
In an offense that features two-tight end packages, blocking becomes a much-needed ability, and Thompson brings that to the table.