Amid stocked tight end room, Munir McClain hoping switch to position pays off

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah coaching staff wanted a change for Munir McClain.

With limited reps on special teams after transferring from USC ahead of the 2021 season, McClain was open to the suggestion — no arm twists or prodding were necessary to convince him of a change. Head coach Kyle Whittingham wanted to move McClain inside and transition him from his recruited position of wide receiver to tight end.

While not an overly drastic move like switching from offense to defense, the move comes with some obvious challenges as he learns the new position — the blocking, alone, will be different. But McClain accepted the position change and welcomed the opportunity to learn something new, especially behind veterans Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid.

"I like the position," McClain said. "I like playing tight end; it's something new. I like going against the linebackers and the safeties. I think it's gonna be a good season, not just for myself, but for the whole team."

And why wouldn't he like the position? Utah utilized its tight ends more than any Power Five program in the country last season — in 11-, 12- and 13-personnel packages. It's a key component of offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig's playbook and a position group that has turned Utah into a highly-efficient offensive team.

With three talented and capable — particularly as a receiver — tight ends on the field, it creates a significant mismatch for opposing defenses, and Ludwig has become the mastermind of disruption. Add the development of the position group under tight end coach Freddie Whittingham and it was an easy sale for the redshirt sophomore.

"It's just that the coaches, they know what they're doing and they believe that's gonna be my best fit for this offense. So that was a change that was made," McClain said. "I think coach Whitt and coach Freddie both know what they're doing. They've been doing this for a long time. So when we talked about it, it was like, all right, that's what we're going to do now."

McClain's 6-foot-4, 226-pound frame attracted the coaching staff to the potential of a position change. Kyle Whittingham said McClain has already added about 15 pounds since he's joined the program and is expected to add more — "He's not getting any smaller."

Whittingham sees McClain as a similar player to Kuithe, who has operated as a hybrid tight end in Utah's system. He'll mix in on the line and provide additional protection in blocking schemes, but will likely be utilized as a pass catcher in many instances like Kuithe — and Kincaid, who has been a consistent threat in the receiving game, too.

The hope is McClain can compete for that third tight end position Utah utilizes often in its 13-personnel schemes. But where he falls in the depth chart, especially in spring as he learns the position, is of little concern to a team stocked with a plethora of talented and capable tight ends.

Utah has an intriguing transfer in Landon Morris, whose imposing 6-foot-5, 233-pound frame lends himself to being a natural fit to replace Cole Fotheringham as a traditional tight end prospect. Or there's redshirt freshman Isaac Vaha, who stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 268 pounds, or redshirt freshman Taniela Pututau at 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds.

And not to be forgotten is Australian Thomas Yassmin, who Whittingham said has come a long way since joining the program in 2018 as a player that had never played football before. Freddie Whittingham added that Yassmin is someone they expect to be "a major contributor this coming fall."

Where McClain fits into the mix is still to be determined, but there's enough depth at the position to push each guy vying for minutes this season. But Freddie Whittingham said it's just as important that guy No. 4 and No. 5 on the depth chart are able to play to provide the necessary depth and no drop-off should injuries impact the team.

The benefit that Utah has is it doesn't have to figure it all out by the end of the 15 practices allowed during the spring period. Utah still has dynamic stars Kuithe and Kincaid as a stabilizing force at the position. The two turned down NFL Combine invites, according to Freddie Whittingham, after the season to return to the team.

"I just think that both of them felt like there were things in their individual games and personal development to work on," Whittingham said. "Also, because of the COVID year last year, this draft coming up is kind of overloaded with players, and especially at the tight end position. But I think they both made a business decision, as well, to stick around for their senior year here and then put themselves in a great position for the following year's draft."

Regardless of the decision, Utah remains in a prime position to rely on dynamic tight ends that provide versatility to the offense — and maybe with a converted wide receiver in the mix, too.

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