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COLLEGE STATION – Jalen Wydermyer has been only been on campus since June, but the true freshman tight end is already making a major impact on the Texas A&M offense.
Through six games, Wydermyer is tied for a team-best four touchdown receptions with two of them coming in A&M’s loss to Alabama last Saturday. He’s already earned a start in four games this year.
“I’ve never seen a guy come in and adapt so quickly to the speed of the game,” A&M junior wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon said. “And being able to run those routes as a big guy, he’s like 255 [pounds], but runs routes like a receiver. He knows how to attack guy’s leverages and stuff you don’t really pick up until later in your game.”
Utilizing Wydermyer, who stands 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, has opened another dimension to the Aggies’ passing game.
“It does because you attack the middle of the field, you get third-down throws, you get first-down throws and it’s another weapon which can take pressure off your wideouts,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said.
Against Alabama, Wydermyer’s first score came on a pass up the left seam, a 25-yard strike from junior quarterback Kellen Mond. Wydermyer slipped past a defender on a play-action and was left wide open to give Mond an easy throw.
Wydermyer has only caught nine passes for 105 yards this season, but he’s made the most of his receptions, taking in four for touchdowns.
“He’s been really good and he’s been working extremely hard in practice,” Mond said of Wydermyer. “Obviously, it’s super hard to come in and learn this offense as quick as he’s done, so a lot of people didn’t really see it week one, but I’ve seen him progress and continue to work. His hard work is definitely paying off.”
Last year, A&M leaned heavily on tight end Jace Sternberger, who left school early for the NFL. Sternberger led the team in receiving yards (832), catches (48) and touchdowns (10) using his large frame and agility to create mismatches against smaller or slower defenders.
“A lot of the time Jace, last year, was getting a lot of passes over the middle,” Mond said, “so being able to have a tight end to control the middle of the field and win one-on-one matchups versus linebackers is going to be really big for us and he’s doing a really good job with that.”
While Wydermyer has bloomed into a regular target in the passing game, Fisher has been pleased with his progress blocking as a sixth lineman for the Aggies.
“He was always a guy that was flexed out,” Fisher said. “He’s learning to put his face on blocks, just like Jace had to learn. Jace was basically a wide receiver when he came here that was not involved in blocking, but by the end of the year became a good blocker.”
Moving forward, Mond said he expects Wydermyer to continue being incorporated into the Aggies’ attack on offense, and might have his role expanded.
“Sometimes, he’s not always tight to the line of scrimmage,” Mond noted. “Sometimes he’s flexed out wide, so getting him more comfortable in the offense, I think we’ll be able to use him in some different ways.”
More touches could come as soon as this weekend. A&M’s next opponent, Ole Miss, ranks 121st nationally in passing yards allowed, giving up 300.4 per game. Last week, Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam caught four passes for 60 yards against the Rebels.
Ausbon sees shades of himself in Wydermyer – serious and technical in preparation – and continues to encourage him to play beyond his years.
“I wanted him to understand you can be a dominant player your freshman year,” Ausbon said. “There’s no age on being a dominant player.”
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October 18, 2019 at 08:01PM
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Learning fast: Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer becoming key piece to Aggies' offense as true freshman - The Dallas Morning News
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