Assuming greatness for Stanford's tight ends

Recommended Video:

Stanford sophomore tight end Luke Kaumatule has never started a game or caught a pass in college. He caught only one pass in high school, when he played almost exclusively on defense.

Yet Kaumatule is on the preseason watch list for the Mackey Award, which goes to the nation's best tight end.

How can that be?

"Reputation," Stanford tight ends coach Morgan Turner said. "We utilize tight ends better than anyone in the country, and they see that."

Merely being a tight end at Stanford almost guarantees star status. Partly because the Cardinal tight ends are so talented, partly because Stanford emphasizes the use of tight ends, partly because the Cardinal have lacked game-breaking wide receivers and partly because power football is Stanford's offensive identity, tight end has become the glamour position on the Farm.

Konrad Reuland, Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo all played tight end at Stanford the past three seasons, and all four are currently on NFL rosters.

Last season, Ertz and Toilolo combined for 93 receptions and 10 of the team's 19 touchdown catches.

Tight end Luke Kaumatule watches teammates do drills during practice for the Stanford football team at Stanford University on Monday, August 12, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Tight end Luke Kaumatule watches teammates do drills during practice for the Stanford football team at Stanford University on Monday, August 12, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Assuming greatness for Stanford's tight ends 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

In five games last season, Stanford started two tight ends, and it often used three tight ends simultaneously.

The Cardinal figure to continue that trend this season, even though they do not have a single tight end who has caught a collegiate pass.

Stanford must get production from its untested tight ends to be the national title contender some think it is.

At least three tight ends figure to get significant playing time this season, and it could be four or five.

"We don't need just one tight end," head coach David Shaw said.

In fact, the Cardinal have nine tight ends on their roster, more than any other Pac-12 team.

The Cardinal make such varied use of the tight end that they have two tight end positions - a Y tight end and an F tight end - and they often are on the field together.

The Y tight end - played last year by Toilolo and this year by Kaumatule - is the blocking tight end who lines up alongside the tackle and is used on underneath pass routes. Like his 6-foot-8 predecessor, Kaumatule offers a huge target with his 6-foot-7, 265-pound athletic frame.

The F tight end spot, occupied by Ertz last season, is a hybrid wide receiver/tight end used on downfield passing schemes. Davis Dudchock, who played in just one game last season, is listed as the starter, but he's being challenged for playing time by Charlie Hopkins and Eddie Plantaric, who both came to Stanford as defensive ends, just as Kaumatule did.

For now, Kaumatule's only collegiate highlight was a block that sprung Ertz for a touchdown against USC last season. Apparently that and Stanford's reputation for tight ends were enough to put him on the Mackey watch list.

"That shows respect for the program," Shaw said, "but we're also 0-for-the-Mackey."

Indeed, a Stanford player has never won the Mackey Award in its 13 years of existence. If Stanford gets what it needs from its tight ends this season, that may change.

Briefly: Stanford was ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press preseason rankings released Saturday. It's the Cardinal's highest preseason AP ranking ever. Their previous preseason high was No. 7, achieved in 1950 and 2011. ... Defensive end Ben Gardner is a bit banged up and did not participate much in practice Saturday. Shaw said he might practice Sunday, though. ... Saturday's practice was the first time this season the team had live tackling. "The defense is always ahead of the offense at this point," Shaw said. "For us, it might be that way for a while."