Our series continues with two freshman tight ends today, taking a look at Brett Norfleet, who is now enrolled at Missouri, and Jackson Bowers, who headed to BYU.
Norfleet played both ways as a defensive end and a tight end, with his skills offensively proving to be the most likely path forward for him at the college level. He committed to Missouri’s 2023 recruiting class, and will now look for his opportunities to get on the field for the Tigers.
Jackson Bowers projects as a high potential inline tight end with a great athletic profile, and he will take his skillset with a view to get on the field as soon as possible for the Cougars.
Brett Norfleet – TE, Missouri
Brett Norfleet played at Francis Howell in Missouri, and committed to the Tigers as his preferred option as opposed to heading out of state with offers from around the country including Alabama, USC and Michigan.
Norfleet did pick up some attention as a defensive prospect, but as his recruitment expanded it became clear that the preference was to have him play tight end.
He was a consensus four star recruit who ranked inside the top 20 tight ends in the country on all major platforms, and helped Francis Howell to a State Championship while picking up multiple All-State honors in the process.
Jackson Bowers – TE, BYU
Jackson Bowers had offers from across the country including the big time SEC schools such as Alabama, LSU and Auburn, as well as programs including Oregon, Texas, USC and Wisconsin.
Bowers took visits to Arizona, Washington and BYU before settling on the Cougars, which had been his first visit of the three.
The now BYU freshman played at Mountain View in Mesa, Arizona, and despite visiting his local option, instead decided to head to Utah and play at Brigham Young.
Bowers left high school with over 1,500 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a top 10 recruit in the state of Arizona. He played defensive end too and was ranked in the All-Region teams as a senior for both positions, first team at tight end, and second team at defensive end.
2023-2024 CFB Season Opportunity
Brett Norfleet
Having played both ways, Norfleet projected as a great athlete, but he will need to polish his game to get on the field at the college level. He’s a raw talent and a multi-sport athlete having also been recruited as a D1 baseball prospect.
The Missouri Tigers had a lot of turnover both in terms of coaches and players around the tight end position prior to the 2022 season, and as the season unfolded that gap in the offense was clear.
Tyler Stephens, this season’s expected starter, was the position leader for the team last season with all of six catches for 56 yards and a single touchdown.
The team’s three tight ends combined for 10 catches, so there’s next to nothing proven on the roster to stand in Norfleets way.
Jackson Bowers
Redshirt senior Isaac Rex is going into his fifth season at BYU and now has 21 touchdowns for the program. He might not be a high volume tight end like Michael Mayer or Sam LaPorta, but he has been a committed piece of the offense for multiple years now.
Rex was battling a return from a nasty injury suffered back in 2021, and it was impressive that he played at all last season. He is expected to be far healthier this year and could emerge as a surprise tight end in the upper echelons of the position in college football this season.
Jackson Bowers is unlikely to take over from the veteran Cougars tight end, but that’s not to say he doesn’t see the field at all this season.
Bowers has a great natural athletic ability, proven by the fact he played both ways on the football field as well as playing basketball at Mountain View.
He’s broad, stocky and can fill out his lower half to look the part of a college tight end in a hurry, and that might mean he gets out there quicker than a freshman TE typically should.
That said, playing time and certainly target share is expected to be limited in the 2023 CFB season.
Senior Masen Wake also decided to return for one more year, and that makes BYU’s tight end group one of the most experienced in the country.
Pro’s and Con’s of playing time
Brett Norfleet
The most obvious pro is Norfleets pedigree in comparison to the other tight ends on the roster. He’s the best tight end prospect the Tigers have recruited in over a decade, and that should ultimately lead to him having a bigger impact on the offense than the 10 tight end catches of last season.
He’s certainly got the frame to become a stand out talent at Missouri, listed at six foot seven and 225 pounds. He will have to spend most of his first season in the weight room in order to handle the aggression of the SEC however, which could limit his playing time this season.
Norfleet won’t necessarily become a vertical field stretching tight end, but he possesses enough willingness to be a more than capable blocker as well as the athletic talent to contribute and make an impact in the pass game.
While he might need to pack on a little muscle before he sees significant playing time, it’s hard to look at last year’s performance and make an argument that keeps him off the field for very long.
Jackson Bowers
BYU doesn’t need to put Bowers out there this season. With Isaac Rex and Masen Wake in the picture, the Cougars have plenty of experience and diversity in their tight end room, and forcing Bowers into that equation would feel a little unnecessary.
Bowers undoubtedly has the athletic ability to become a lead tight end for the program, but I expect to see that next season. Both Rex and Wake will move on following this year, opening the door for the talented young tight end to take up a major role.
The plus for playing him early is his diverse skill set that makes him an asset both in the run and pass game. He’s extremely mobile, can be dangerous downfield and looks a completely natural pass catcher on high school film.
Why draft him in CFB Fantasy Leagues?
Brett Norfleet
I’d take a flier here based on the fact that Missouri needs to find its way back to involving the tight end position in the offense, and going out and making a splash with a big time recruit for the program is a sure fire way of heading in that direction.
We’ve talked about the lack of inspiration from the position group last season, so there’s a fair chance Norfleet gets an opportunity to prove himself very early on. With next to no production on the table from those in front of him on the depth chart, why not take a look?
Jackson Bowers
The potential for Bowers is monumental. He feels underrated coming out of high school having watched some of his film, and if he develops and builds out what he’s been able to achieve already then he’s one to look out for.
Out of all the tight ends that are not considered blue chip prospects who will play immediately, Jackson Bowers is one of my favorites. He’s comfortable, he plays hard, he wins those jump balls you’d want him to win, and he uses his frame to his advantage. He’s a smart football player whose trajectory will only head in one direction under the coaching of the BYU program.
Sure, he might not play all that much this season, but devy league fantasy football players should without a doubt have this guy on their draft boards.
Brett Norfleet 4%
Norfleet has a strong athletic profile, and can become a solid blocker and pass catching tight end rolled into one, but does he do either at a high enough level to attract NFL attention?
That will be my question over the next three to four years. At six foot seven, if he plays aggressive enough and can use his extended catch radius to his advantage, there’s a clear path for him into the league.
Jackson Bowers 10%
I can just see the path that Bowers takes to become a pro tight end. All being well he redshirts this season and learns behind Isaac Rex and Masen Wake. Then next season he’s the lead tight end and builds three years worth of production in the Cougars offense before declaring for the NFL draft.
