Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The South Carolina Gamecocks received some good news Tuesday night when tight end Kalan Ritchie gave his verbal commitment to coach Steve Spurrier.
Ritchie is the third commitment to the Gamecocks for the class of 2014. Ritchie, a 6-foot 5, 215 pound blocking tight out of Goose Creek High School (Goose Creek, SC), is picking the Gamecocks over Clemson and Virginia Tech.
There’s no doubt Ritchie needs some work before taking the field at Williams-Brice Stadium. After all, he’s considered a ‘blocking’ tight end. But, that shouldn’t diminish his value. No, he won’t wow anyone with his hands or with his feet, but his praises could be getting sung by coaches, running backs and quarterbacks alike.
Let me explain.
Two-TE sets have become wildly popular due the unprecedented success the New England Patriots have enjoyed with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. But all two-TE sets are not alike. Depending on schemes, some coaches wants his tight ends to be just like receivers, with all of their focus going on pass-catching.
Others prefer their tight ends to be additional offensive linemen, putting their focus on blocking. And yet others prefer a nice combo of both. That’s where South Carolina is with coach Spurrier. He likes running a two-TE set featuring both a proficient receiver and a good blocker.
Ritchie can fill the role of blocking tight end, and it’s a role he should flourish in. He’ll be that sixth offensive linemen, opening holes for the backs in the run game. He’ll help in protecting the quarterback in certain protections where he stays home on passing plays.
And just because he’s considered a blocking tight end, that doesn’t mean he can’t catch. He’ll help keep the defense honest by occasionally going down the seam on a third-down play action.
The blocking tight ends are the glue guys — the guys you love to have on your team. They won’t ever make the headlines nor be the heroes to the little kids, but they help win football games.
