We have covered several of this year’s freshman tight ends so far in this series, and today we have two more. These are some of the most intriguing young prospects, and many of them have the opportunity to get on the field early at their respective college football programs.
Today we’re covering Kansas Jayhawks freshman Jaden Hamm and Utah freshman tight end C.J. Jacobsen. We’ll break down their profiles, opportunities as freshmen in 2023, and whether you should have them on your radar in the college fantasy football world.
Jaden Hamm – Tight End, Kansas
Jaden Hamm is a six-foot-four, 225 pound tight end who played his high school football at Eudora in Kansas. He was a four star recruit on ESPN who was ranked the 25th tight end in the country, and chose Kansas over the rival Kansas State.
In fact, Hamm trolled K-State when he committed, picking up the Kansas State hat and throwing it across the room before putting the Jayhawks one on his head.
Hamm had nine catches for 131 yards and four touchdowns as a tight end, but played both ways and added 41 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss and one forced fumble in his senior year.
C.J. Jacobsen – Tight End, Utah
C.J. Jacobsen was ranked the number 32 tight end in the country and the number two rated player in the state of Idaho.
In 2022 alone Jacobsen managed over 500 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns, helping Rocky Mountain High to a 10-2 record. Jacobsen was named Idaho Statesman 5A All-State and All-Conference in 2022.
The young tight end chose to head to Utah having taken visits to both Wisconsin and N.C. State. He enrolled on May 31st and will now join the team for training camp as he adjusts to the college athlete lifestyle.
Jacobsen was a two sport athlete at Rocky Mountain High, also lettering in basketball.
2023-2024 CFB Season Opportunity
Jaden Hamm
The Kansas Jayhawks involved their tight ends heavily in 2022 with both Mason Fairchild and Jared Casey seeing significant playing time. The problem there is that both are back this season, with Fairchild returning after a breakout year in the 2022 college season that saw him emerge as the primary target at the position.
There will be plenty of passing yards to go around in 2023, with Jalon Daniels coming back for the end of the season after going down injured in Week 6. In the Jayhawks final game he threw for 544 yards and five touchdowns against Arkansas, setting the bar high for the 2023 campaign.
Prior to his injury Daniels was emerging as one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the country, and that is expected to continue this coming season.
For Jaden Hamm, getting into the starting rotation this season could be difficult with two experienced guys ahead of him. He will more likely settle into becoming a full time tight end, hit the weight room, and be ready to go in 2024. Mason Fairchild is a senior this year so his spot will be up for grabs next season.
C.J. Jacobsen
The Utah Utes were one of the most productive teams at tight end last season, largely thanks to the efforts of Dalton Kincaid.
Kincaid connected all season long with Utes quarterback Cameron Rising, who utilized his star TE over the middle of the field time and time again.
Kincaid led the Utes in receiving yards and headed to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the draft this off-season, leaving a large void behind at tight end.
Jacobsen won’t be first in line for the job by any means though, with both Thomas Yassmin and Brant Kuithe expected to take on larger roles.
Behind Kincaid, Yassmin and Kaithe combined for 51 targets, over 500 receiving yards and nine touchdowns last season. Both are capable of adding to the offense, and will likely share time on the field this year.
Pro’s and con’s for playing time
Jaden Hamm
The pro’s for seeing Jaden Hamm on the field this year are fairly limited. He was more productive on defense in high school than he was as a TE, and while he’s been recruited to play on offense it will likely take some time to bring him up to speed.
That combined with the fact that Kansas is set for experienced TE’s who know the position this season and produced last year, I can’t see many reasons that they would force Hamm into the rotation unnecessarily.
Barring an injury, Jaden Hamm’s best bet is to shine in practice and earn his way onto the field as the tight end room shuffled around next season.
C.J. Jacobsen
The pro’s would be the offense he’s working in. Utah handed out some of the highest tight end production in college football last season. Kincaid was one of the best players in the game, and his supporting cast picked up a healthy amount of work too.
If something similar happens this season, Jacobsen could sneak into the third role on the offense and clear 20 targets. That said, there is a lot of depth he’d have to fight through on the roster and the more likely outcome is a redshirt year leading to an emergence in 2024.
Why draft him in CFB Fantasy Leagues?
Jaden Hamm
The volume the tight ends saw in 2022 is enough to peak my interest. Between Fairchild and Casey there were 68 targets for tight ends, and Trevor Kardell had another nine.
Jalon Daniels will likely head for the NFL draft if he impresses this year, so the quarterback change could be a slight concern, but ultimately that volume for a tight end is enough to entice me into taking a look at Jaden Hamm in the late rounds of a college fantasy draft.
C.J. Jacobsen
Things can change in a hurry in college football, with quarterbacks turning over and offensive systems looking completely different from one season to another, but Utah does seem to love its TE’s in the current regime.
Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig has built a system that heavily incorporates the tight ends, and while that might drop off slightly with Dalton Kincaid out of the picture, they’re still expected to feature.
Jacobsen might not see the fruits of the system this year, but he certainly could in 2024 and beyond.
Stock Radar as an NFL Prospect
Jaden Hamm 3%
Right now it’s pretty difficult to say much about Jaden Hamm as a tight end. The only real information we have on him is his size and athleticism, which allowed him to play both ways in high school.
In 2024 we’ll find out a lot more about his game, and whether he can become a 40+ target TE at the college level.
C.J. Jacobsen 4%
I like Utah’s depth at tight end, and in a couple of years Jacobsen could emerge as a starter. If he does so, and the Utes are still giving high volumes to pass catching tight ends, that production will be great for his NFL draft stock.