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Published Oct 27, 2020
Tight end Jude Wolfe's stock on the rise in his second year at USC
Ryan Young  •  TrojanSports
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It was telling and noteworthy Tuesday morning as USC tight ends coach John David Baker talked about his position group and continued to lump senior Erik Krommenhoek, the returning starter, and redshirt freshman Jude Wolfe together.

It confirmed what had seemed likely based on the reports coming out of camp this preseason that Wolfe might be ahead of senior Josh Falo on that tight end depth chart.

"We've got a couple of really talented tight ends in Erik and Jude that have put themselves in a position to be on the football field," Baker said. "They earned that right during the offseason, even during quarantine and even through these first couple weeks. They've made plays and been successful."

Later in his Zoom call with reporters, Baker said: "We're fortunate to have guys like EK and Jude that can move around and do multiple things because it creates mismatches."

RELATED: An in-depth look at USC's 2020 TE outlook and Erik Krommenhoek's offsesaon training with NFL players

Eventually, Baker was asked about Falo's status. He saw his stats diminish in his third season -- but first under offensive coordinator Graham Harrell -- last year despite seeming like the ideal physical mold for a tight end in this offense at a lean and athletic 6-foot-6, 235 pounds.

"He’s been with us. He missed some offseason time as far as working out, so he’s slowly been kind of working his way back in. He’s had an integral part. He’s been involved. He had a great day of practice yesterday," Baker said of Falo. "He’s just slowly working his way back in and getting back in playing shape and getting back to that point where he can contribute."

Whatever has limited or held back Falo in the buildup to this season, it sounds like Wolfe has by all accounts seized his opportunity in the meantime.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound 4-star prospect out of St. John Bosco HS saw limited action in four games last season, protecting his redshirt. He did not catch a pass, but it sounds like he's caught plenty this preseason, including a touchdown in the Trojans' second scrimmage this past Saturday. (Reporters aren't permitted at practice due to COVID-19 protocols, so reports from coaches and teammates have been the main source of intel this year.)

"Jude is a talented kid. To me, he’s taken a leap of just being more consistent. He’s not busting. He’s where he’s supposed to be, when he’s supposed to be there," Baker said. "I think the biggest thing Jude has done, honestly, is he’s extremely coachable. We’ll be sitting in a position meeting, and I’ll tell him, 'Hey, you need to do this, exactly like this,' and 30 minutes later, we’re on the practice field, and the same situation comes up and bam, he fixes it. That’s impressive for a young guy. For him to take the coaching and do it exactly how you want him to, that’s impressive. To me, that’s where he’s made the biggest leap, just being coachable and buying into what we’re doing and trying to do it our way."

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