Nevada football 2022 summer position preview: Tight ends

The Nevada Wolf Pack football team, who suffered one of the biggest roster turnovers in recent Pack memory, will be kicking off in less than a month against the New Mexico State Aggies!

Nevada lost its head coach to in-conference foe Colorado State as well as a bevy of transfers. Its top three skill threats — Carson Strong, Cole Turner (more below) and Romeo Doubs — elected to go to the NFL and the Pack return less than 30 percent of its production from a year, the lowest in the nation, per ESPN.

Until the start of the season, I will be previewing each unit of its roster each week. So far, we have done quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. Today, we do tight ends — which have several brand new faces heading into the 2022 season.

Anyone departing?

Cole Turner

Turner, a two-time All-Mountain West honoree who originally joined the Wolf Pack as a receiver, has been Strong’s second-best target and one of the nation’s top tight ends over the last two seasons; over that span, he’s combined for 111 receptions, 1,282 yards and 19 touchdowns. In 2022, he recorded 62 receptions for 677 yards and 10 scores, tying a team-best. The 6-foot-6 tight end was Strong’s top red-zone threat, especially around the goal-line — hauling in 16 of his 21 career scores inside the red-zone. He posted seven two-touchdown performances — four in 2021 and three in 2020. He also had three 100-yard games, including a career-high 12 receptions for 175 yards against Hawai’i last season.

Reagan Roberson

Roberson appeared in 12 of the team’s 13 games last season as Nevada’s top blocking tight end. He made only two receptions for 10 yards, totaling eight career catches for 62 yards and one touchdown in 54 games.

Crishaun Lappin

Lappin appeared in 44 games throughout his Wolf Pack career, including 10 last year where he was mainly used on special teams. He made one kick return for ten yards and even made three solo tackles. Over his four seasons with Nevada, he had five catches for 31 yards.

Evidence Njoku

After spending multiple seasons with UCLA and Miami, Njoku transferred to Nevada ahead of last season, playing in just one game. He did not record a stat.

Travis Ward

As a freshman in 2021, Ward did not make a single appearance.

Anyone returning?

Carlton Brown III

Brown is the Wolf Pack’s lone returning tight end, but didn’t make an appearance in 2021. He could be in-line for plenty of reps with his 6-foot-6, 227-pound frame, though it’s uncertain who will be where on the TE depth chart.

Any new faces?

Jacob Munro

Munro was a JUCO transfer from Orange Coast College, where he spent two seasons. He tallied 31 career receptions for 365 yards without a score. Here is what recruiting guru and Mountain West Connection site manager Mike Wittmann said regarding Munro in Nevada’s 2022 recruiting profile.

Jacob comes in to play tight end for the Wolf Pack. He is a former high school quarterback who made the transition to tight end. Munro understands how an offense runs and knows every aspect of what it takes to have a successful play. He has great size and moves well. Jacob has made the transition to a new position over the past two years and Nevada should be getting a polished product.

Cooper Shults

Shults transferred over from Oregon, where he appeared in 17 combined games across two years. He had just one catch for 13 yards. Here’s what Wittmann said about Shults:

Cooper is part of Nevada’s efforts both to emphasize tight ends and identify players from Oregon. He is long and athletic and is very effectively going vertical to secure a catch. Shults glides downfield and knows exactly when he is open to expect the ball. He has reliable hands and is a prime target when a team is near the goalline. Cooper will add instant depth in the tight end room and should see the field plenty during his career.

Dyson Frank

Wilson was very high on Frank during the spring, saying “[Frank] is big guy that’s going to be an unbelievable receiving tight end. He runs a 4.5 40; his dunk take on his highlight tape in college is impressive.”

Here is what Wittmann said about Frank, who transferred from Snow College (but redshirted):

Dyson is another junior college tight end in this class. He has huge size and seems like a natural target in the redzone and over the middle at the first down marker. Frank moves extremely well and has a wide catch radius as he runs down the hashes. He is open almost immediately thanks to his size and ability to move and is tough to bring down with just one player. Dyson is likely to see immediate action and is a good bet to make an impact.

Cameron Zeidler

Zeidler was one of the many hometown walk-ons, coming from North Valley’s High School in Reno, Nev. Originally a quarterback in high school, he completed 49.5 percent (195-of-394) of his passes for 2,384 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He had just one catch for 12 yards in his high school career, coming as a senior.

Bronson Burrow

Burrow, a multi-sport athlete out of Ripon High School in Ripon, Calif., is a walk-on. According to MaxPreps, he played just one year of football in high school — totaling eight catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He was a good basketball player, adding 12.3 points and 7.7 with a 6-foot-7 frame.

Kevin Kremer

Kremer played four years of collegiate basketball at Utah (2017-18) and Chaminade (2019-22). He tallied 6.8 points and 6.4 boards in his career.