College Football Breakout Tight Ends (2025)
Seam busters, jumbo slots and volume vacuums—meet 2025’s TE cheat-codes
We’re on my final Breakout Players article. As always, I’m trying to avoid obvious options that you can find anywhere. Granted, tight end is more difficult, and I do feel some of these players are “obvious,” but I’m trying to make a list worth something rather than what you can read anywhere on the web.
If you haven’t yet, check out my other Breakout articles:
Breakout Wide Receivers (2025)
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Luke Hasz (Ole Miss)
Hasz flashed as a freshman for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He posted 16 receptions for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns across 5 games before suffering an injury. He took a step back as a sophomore, posting 26 receptions for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns in 12 games.
It’s important to note that Hasz struggled with a back injury throughout the 2024 season. He played in each of Arkansas’ 12 games, but that injury likely changed his role. It’s also important to understand that the majority of the passing offense ran through Andrew Armstrong, leaving limited opportunities for everyone else.
The junior opted to transfer to one of the best offenses in the NCAA - Ole Miss. He’s expected to feature as their TE1 with the offense using more 12-personnel to get Hasz and Dae’Quan Wright on the field together.
It looks as if Hasz will be the top receiving option at tight end. Head coach Lane Kiffin’s already suggested that they’ll use him as a jumbo slot option in the red zone. That isn’t exclusively how he’ll be used, but it adds touchdown upside to his potential this season.
I already outlined Austin Simmons and De’Zhaun Stribling as breakout candidates for this season, and I’m clearly very high on this Ole Miss offense once again.
Luke Reynolds (Penn State)
Reynolds is one of the most obvious breakout options for this season. He showed flashes in limited snaps as a freshman in 2024. He posted 9 receptions for 111 yards and 1 touchdown.
The freshman played behind Tyler Warren, who posted elite numbers (104-1,233-8) last season. Prior to Warren, Penn State produced Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, Pat Freiermuth, and Mike Gesicki. Penn State’s consistently produced NFL-level tight ends in recent seasons.
For those who don’t follow recruiting, Reynolds was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school. He was the top-rated tight end and the 29th overall recruit in the 2024 class. He tested at elite levels prior to coming to Penn State as well.
We have a situation here where talent meets opportunity. One of the most talented tight ends in the country will be playing for a team that consistently produces high-end players at the position.
Carsen Ryan (BYU)
Ryan’s been a decent player for UCLA and Utah, but he’s been far from a game-changer at this point in his career. He owns 29 receptions for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns through three seasons. He’s in for a new role in 2025, though.
The senior transferred to BYU, and it’s looking like a great move at this point. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick showered him with glowing reviews, including calling him one of BYU’s best offensive players. Veteran quarterback Jake Retzlaff seconded these sentiments.
BYU is also expected to utilize its tight ends more this season. They struggled to get the ball to the position in 2024, but Isaac Rex found success with a 34-422-3 line in 2023. If the Cougars are going to utilize the tight end more, that means Ryan, as he doesn’t have much competition at the top of the depth chart.
Ryan has the athleticism to become a top target in the passing game. BYU has also been talking him up, and they vow to use his position more. Finally, we have a situation where the Cougars are returning a solid quarterback, making the offense better overall.
Jake Johnson (UNC)
I was a huge fan of Johnson during his sophomore season at Texas A&M. Truthfully, I was thrilled he transferred to UNC, but he saw limited snaps and didn’t find virtually any success. He’s now the starter, and I’m expecting him to take a step forward.
The Tar Heels brought in Bill Belichick as their head coach, but they kept Freddie Kitchens on as their offensive coordinator. He heavily utilized tight ends in 2024, as Bryson Nesbit posted 24 receptions for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns in only 7 games. John Copenhaver led the team in receiving, recording 40 receptions for 414 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Johnson’s been the starter throughout the Spring. We’ve also heard UNC’s coaches praise him quite a bit, and it’s going to be interesting to see how they plan on using him because of their teams makeup for the season.
Omarion Hampton left for the NFL, and North Carolina isn’t expected to lean on their running backs as much as in the past. They brought in Gio Lopez, who is expected to work as the focal point of their offense. The Tar Heels are extremely young at receiver, though.
Granted, UNC has a few options in their receiver room who have tremendous upside. It isn’t a safe situation, though, and Johnson could quickly become a security blank in the passing game. He’s already shown flashes at Texas A&M, and he should finally find the opportunity at North Carolina.
Riley Williams (Oregon State)
Williams was a highly-rated recruit in the class of 2023. He was a 4-star recruit, who was ranked as the eighth overall tight end. He also ranked right around 150th as an overall recruit.
Unsurprisingly, Williams saw limited snaps for the Miami Hurricanes. He posted 15 receptions for 187 yards and 1 touchdown across two seasons. It was never a fit that came together, though, leaving him to transfer to Oregon State.
There have been reports that both Williams and Bryce Caufield have been standouts during Spring. We’ve also seen that Oregon State is willing to use multiple tight ends on the field at the same time.
Truthfully, I’m not sure if I’d prefer Williams drastically over Caufield, who seemingly has a leadership role for the Beavers at this point. I love his physical traits, though, and talent has never been the issue.
If Oregon State is going to use multiple tight ends this season, both Williams and Caufield could find tremendous success.
Conclusion
These players aren’t listed in any type of order, but here is my order of confidence in terms of breakout potential for the season:
Luke Hasz (Ole Miss)
Luke Reynolds (Penn State)
Carsen Ryan (BYU)
Jake Johnson (UNC)
Riley Williams (Oregon State)
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