When it comes to the freshman class of tight ends this year, college football’s biggest programs were fighting over some high potential athletes. While Duce Robinson might have been the top prize, the talent throughout the country ran deep, and we have two more freshman tight ends to get to know here today.
To uncover today’s talents we’re heading to the SEC. First up is Mac Markway, a four star recruit who is now enrolled at LSU, and second is another four star in Ty Lockwood who is now a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Both tight ends are top 20 recruits who could grow into starring roles in their respective offenses, so we’re looking to find out a little more about their game, the situation on each of their teams and the potential for growth as an NFL prospect.
Mac Markway – Tight End, LSU
Mac Markway was ranked as the number three recruit in the country by ESPN, and LSU fell in love with him for his immense versatility. Markway is a physical receiver in the pass game and plays aggressive when he’s running his routes, but also appears to thoroughly enjoy getting involved in the run game and creating space for his team mates with pancake blocks and some muscle.
The LSU tight end played his high school football at DeSmet in Saint Louis, Missouri, and comes from a strong tight end family. His father Matt Markway played tight end at Iowa, and his son will now look to make his own mark on the college game with the Tigers.
He was originally committed to the Florida Gators, but flipped his recruitment to LSU. Markway played both tight end and defensive end in high school and will be one of the most intriguing recruits for Brian Kelly’s Tigers in the next couple of seasons.
Ty Lockwood – Tight End, Alabama
Ty Lockwood’s high school tape is a lot of fun to watch, and he had some strong offers as a result. He eventually chose Alabama over Ohio State where he did take an official visit, as well as offers from the likes of Michigan, Tennessee and Penn State.
Lockwood played his high school football for the Independence Eagles in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, a relatively small town in Williamson County. He has a diverse tape with reps split out as a slot receiver and a strong display of different routes and contributions as a pass catcher.
Coming into college he’s six foot five and 225 pounds who played both ways in high school. He has experience lining up on inline and blocking in the run game but also appears to be dangerous when getting vertical downfield or coming across the field on play action.
2023-2024 CFB Season Opportunity
Mac Markway
Mac Markway enrolled at LSU alongside two more freshman tight ends as the Tigers look to rebuild the room for future years. While both Jackson McGohan and Ka’Morreun Pimpton will also be looking to earn reps this coming college football season, Markway is the big ticket recruit at the position.
Ahead of him are sophomore Taylor Mason and redshirt sophomore GiVanni Peterson. Of the two, Mason is the only one who contributed last season in the LSU offense, catching 27 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns.
The offense has a heavy run aspect to it with dual threat quarterback Jayden Daniels rushing for over 1,000 yards last season and a committee of running backs adding another 1,300+ between them.
Markway could be a key piece early in his college career in support of that run game and then in turn making contributions in play action pass plays and the redzone.
Ty Lockwood
Ty Lockwood will join a tight end room competing for reps this year at Alabama. Last season the leader of the group was Cameron Latu, who was drafted in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2023 NFL draft.
Now Alabama will be looking for a new lead tight end, but Lockwood has a ways to go to fight his way into the rotation.
Alabama brought in junior transfer CJ Dippre, who had over 300 yards receiving at Maryland last season. The third year is currently tipped as the favorite to start for the Tide, with redshirt freshman Danny Lewis Jr also making some noise.
Nick Saban won’t be in any hurry to throw Ty Lockwood in considering the depth he has at the position, so we might not see all that much of him this year. Spending time at a prestigious college program will however be superb for the development of such a gifted talent, and when Lockwood gets his shot he could be a big piece for the Tide.
Pro’s and Con’s for playing time
Mac Markway
The pro for Markway playing is the suitability of his diverse skillet to the scheme. Brian Kelly knew his program needed a better contingency of tight ends this coming season and he went out and got them.
Markway will likely see the field this year as run support at the very minimum, and if he holds his own there then the opportunities as a receiving tight end should follow.
Brian Kelly is known for developing his tight ends really nicely and Markway could really benefit from that. He’s not the most athletic but he plays like a bully out on the field, pancaking defensive ends and rumbling downfield with the football.
The concern is the level of success LSU had as a passing team last season and the potential lack of volume for Markway as a result. Jayden Daniels was running a lot last year and therefore only threw for 2,500 yards and 15 touchdowns. The tight ends got a very small share of that volume too with Taylor Mason being the lead TE with 263 yards.
It doesn’t necessarily feel like a heavy volume offense for the tight ends at LSU, but that might be because Brian Kelly didn’t have the personnel to treat it that way. Perhaps Mac Markway changes that.
Ty Lockwood
There are certainly pros to getting Lockwood out there in his freshman year at Alabama, including his diversity in lining up inline versus lining up in the slot and being able to move around the formation.
That said, Alabama already has guys on the roster who can do the same, and there was not a high volume for their tight ends last season. They took more of a ‘spread the ball around’ approach after having several years with standout wide receivers going for over 1,000 yards.
Lockwood could be tight end three or four this season and in the 2022 college football season that meant less than ten targets at Alabama. Saban doesn’t tend to rotate through those guys much at all, with Latu getting 95% of the spoils.
I’m not currently expecting to see much of him this year, and I think I’ll keep that approach and allow myself to be pleasantly surprised if it changes.
Why draft him in CFB fantasy leagues?
Mac Markway
If you’re playing college fantasy football you’ll know that somebody like Sam LaPorta or Michael Mayer can grow into real contributors to your team. That would be why you take a look at guys like Mac Markway. Sure he might start out as a blocking tight end and you don’t get any fantasy points for that, but being a consistent blocker does get you on the field.
It’s at that point that Mac Markway could see some more volume as a receiving TE, perhaps even as a freshman. I don’t expect to see him making big plays in the pass game immediately, but he does have the size and hands to do so.
Ty Lockwood
You should draft him because he’s about to be developed by one of the most successful programs in college football history at Alabama. Nick Saban’s track record in taking high school talent and turning them into NFL players exceeds that of anybody else in the game right now and practically everybody who came before him.
Alabama is a factory of NFL talent so Lockwood turning into a pro ready tight end with a high level of production two to three years from now would not be a surprise at all. With that in mind, devy fantasy football players might want to try and pick this guy up.
Nick Saban was key in the recruitment of Lockwood and in visiting his home in December, so there’s a good chance he expects the Alabama freshman tight end to be a pivotal part of his program in the coming years.
Stock Radar as an NFL prospect
Mac Markway 4%
The LSU freshman tight end will develop well with Brian Kelly, I don’t doubt that. The question for me is whether he offers enough in the pass game to be an appealing prospect at the NFL level. He could certainly get out there in a run-heavy system like Kyle Shanahan’s or Mike McDaniel’s, but based on his high school tape that would be almost a pure blocker with minor work as a pass catcher.
Ty Lockwood 7%
Ty Lockwood looks the part of a modern day NFL tight end with his versatile play style in high school. Tight ends that can deliver powerful blocks while lining up on the outside of a tackle are valuable, but a tight end that can do that and also go and line up in the slot, get downfield in a hurry and run a great combination of routes is rare.
If Ty Lockwood can continue to do that and get better and better in the next three to four years in college, then I’d expect to see him become a popular selection in the NFL draft.