TEs coach Seth Doege explains how he sees position evolving in USC offense
USC has made a very compelling pitch to tight end prospects over the last year, and it has nothing to do with the 11 combined catches Trojans' TEs totaled in 2020.
No, the USC staff points instead to what Drake London has been doing at the Y-receiver position, working up the seams and over the middle. London led the Trojans with 502 receiving yards in six games as a sophomore, and it was the opportunity to play "the Drake London role" that helped the Trojans sign 4-star Rivals100 TE Michael Trigg and 3-star TE Lake McRee in this 2021 recruiting class.
With new tight ends coach Seth Doege, recently promoted from an offensive analyst role, joining reporters on a Zoom call Friday, he was asked to expound on that recruiting pitch and how he sees the tight ends evolving in this offense.
He pointed to a former teammate at Texas Tech, where Doege was the starting quarterback in 2011-12.
"I don't know if you guys remember this name, but there's a name that I always refer back to -- his name's Jace Amaro and he was my tight end when I was playing at Texas Tech. And the year after I left, he's playing Drake's role, which is the Y, but we also listed him as a tight end because he played some of the in-line tight end stuff as well as the H-back stuff. But that year after I left he caught 106 balls for over 1,300 yards, so that's kind of the vision," Doege said. "Jace being able to do that is because he was able to do both -- he ended up being a second-round draft pick of the Jets, but he had the ability to do both and that's kind of what we're looking for.
"Drake right now, he's been split out the whole time. We haven't really used him as much in the run game. I think moving forward we can get creative and do some of that stuff with him. But from a recruiting standpoint and evaluation standpoint I'm looking for guys like Jace Amaro that can weigh 6-5, 6-6, 225-230 pounds -- Jace was actually like 245 -- that can run and separate in the pass game as well as put their face on somebody when they need to and help us in the run game as well. ... If you can find a tight end that can do both, in this offense you just made it really, really hard to defend."
RELATED: Full transcript of TEs coach Seth Doege's comments Friday
USC's tight end room now is a mix of traditional old-school tight ends like fifth-year senior starter Erik Krommenhoek (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) and third-year sophomore Jude Wolfe (6-5, 250), the more hybrid, highly-athletic mold Doege referenced in veteran Josh Falo (6-6, 235), Trigg (6-5, 230), McRee (6-5, 220) and Ethan Rae (6-5, 245), who is kind of a tweener and has yet to play a snap in his first two years due to injury.
London, meanwhile, will likely have an NFL draft decision to make after this next season, but for now Doege said he has to be factored into the equation when evaluating tight end usage because his role is taking targets away from what the Trojans would otherwise be doing with their tight ends.
"You've got to factor in Drake London's role a little bit too, you know what I mean. So I would say somewhere above 50 receptions in that room, and obviously the production, yards after the catch, I don't know somewhere north of 800. That would be very productive for us," he said when asked what would make for a successful season for the tight ends. "And then I know that's setting the bar high, but I've always been able, and Graham talks about this all the time, we set the expectations high -- we're not going to come down for anybody. And that's how you get good. With Drake being at the Y spot, it's going to take some production out of quote unquote the tight end room, but once we get to a point where we have a guy that can do both and maybe some guy evolves this year where he can do that, you're looking at what I just told you. Somewhere around those numbers. ...
"There's a lot of creativity things that we can do to get those guys the ball, but we'll find out once we get through the spring who kind of steps up and fills that role."
That said, he also reiterated the same challenge to the tight ends that his predecessor John David Baker spoke about entering this past season.
"As soon as we feel good about our personnel we can get into some big sets and do some creative things, especially in the run game or the RPO game -- and that's something we're going to dive into this offseason as well," Doege said. "Especially with Drake London, he's a very, very special talent. And then you've got some guys like EK and Jude that are very physical, Falo is very athletic, that you can do some things with those guys. Those guys to me, the biggest thing this offseason, those guys have to become more consistent, more consistent players that we can rely on to do different things.
"Because if we are going to go that route they're going to have to show up more times than not and be effective for us. So I think that's my challenge this spring is make those guys more consistent so we can get into those bigger sets and do some more creative stuff out of the run game."
Doege replaces Baker, who had similarly been promoted from analyst to TEs coach a year earlier. He left to take a job at Ole Miss as TEs coach and pass-game coordinator. Doege, Baker and Harrell are all close and were known around the facility as "Team Texas," as three former college QBs from the Lone Star State.
Doege has been a major factor in USC's QB recruiting and was the first on staff to hone in on 4-star QB Jaxson Dart, who the Trojans would then pursue aggressively this fall and ultimately sign. Doege was key in his recruitment and also in the recruitment of 3-star WR signee Joseph Manjack, out of the Houston, Texas, area.
He suggested his recruiting roles won't change too much -- he'll just now have to focus on tight end recruiting as well.
"Obviously, being in the quarterback room, Graham and I really did a great job working together on the quarterbacks. I don't see that changing. I think we've got a great relationship there and we're able to present what we can offer a kid strictly because we both played it, we're both in the same room," Doege said. "We love this offense. We talk about it all the time, I don't know if there's anywhere else I'd rather coach than in this system and try to evolve it and make it the best system possible. But coaching in this system is what I love to do.
"So it's easy to present to those quarterbacks, and honestly when you take on a new role and you're a position coach you've got to own that role as well. So you've got to own the tight end room and recruiting responsibilities in that room as well. And then we always talk about team recruiting so sometimes you guys maybe don't know who's team recruiting what guy, you're always going to be in the background loving up some guy that we feel like as a staff makes us better and makes us a national title contender. So I'll always be in the background helping whoever."