It’s no secret that Kyle McCord has a plethora of options to throw the ball to when he drops back in the pocket. In Saturday’s 31-28 win over #23 Georgia Tech, McCord established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation with another career-high performance. Alongside him though is who I believe to be the best tight end in the country, redshirt junior Oronde Gadsden II.
Now I know what you’re thinking: This is ridiculous considering he’s only played four games in the past two years. To that, I say yes, but when he’s been on the field, he’s dominated at all levels of the game.
Despite having just 13 receptions in the first two games, Gadsden II has over 200 yards receiving and three touchdowns, which rank second among all tight ends in the NCAA. The only person ahead of Gadsden II in terms of yards is Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr, who has four more receptions and three more yards.
Just from an eye-test standpoint, you can see the impact Gadsden II makes even when he’s not touching the ball. McCord drops back, and Gadsden II continuously gets double-teamed, drawing the linebackers away from the wideouts, which could be a strong reason for Trebor Pena’s early success. McCord has also seemed to find his trust in the tight end, as he targeted him for the dagger touchdown to take down the ranked Yellow Jackets.
This should be no shock to anyone though. I mean the guy was an all-ACC tight end in 2022 and almost broke the program record for receiving yards. Who knows? At this current pace and with some takeovers, Gadsden II could surpass the 1,000-yard mark and be not only the best tight end in SU history, but the best tight end in his class heading towards the NFL.
