Football retains top tight ends, looks to capitalize on offensive chemistry

Tight ends have been a focal point of the Bruins’ offense since coach Chip Kelly arrived in Westwood.

In Kelly’s inaugural season with UCLA football, redshirt junior tight end Caleb Wilson posted a team-high 965 receiving yards en route to being selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft the following spring. One season later, redshirt junior tight end Devin Asiasi amassed 641 receiving yards – 40 yards shy of the team lead. Asiasi was subsequently drafted in the third round by the New England Patriots.

This season, for the first time in Kelly’s tenure, the Bruins did not lose their top tight end to the NFL Draft.

UCLA’s leading receiver in 2020 – rising redshirt junior tight end Greg Dulcich – will return to the Bruins in 2021 for a third season with the program. Dulcich played sparingly in his first two seasons, registering just nine total receptions, before breaking out in 2020 as a second-team All-Pac-12 honoree.

Starting in five of seven games, Dulcich ranked second in the nation among tight ends in receiving yards per game with 73.9 yards per contest, including a 167-yard outing against USC. But Dulcich said the versatility of the tight end group is what makes it successful in Kelly’s offense.

“We use tight ends in tons of different roles – whether it’s in-line blocking or trying to stretch the field,” Dulcich said. “That’s what makes us a really special group. (Tight ends coach Derek Sage) does a really good job making sure that we’re full, complete tight ends.”

Dulcich also commended the offseason improvement of fellow tight end and rising junior Mike Martinez.

“He’s flying,” Dulcich said. “His offseason work has really helped him become a big-time vertical threat for us, so that’s exciting for sure.”

In addition to retaining their two starters at the position, the Bruins will also be adding a new face to the tight end room.

Rising senior wide receiver Michael Ezeike caught 12 passes and recorded two touchdowns in his freshman campaign out wide, but did not tally a reception in the previous two seasons. In his fourth year with the program, the former four-star prospect will be making the move to tight end.

Dulcich said Ezeike’s skills as a receiver have translated “perfectly” to the tight end spot, while Martinez added he can learn a lot from the former receiver.

“It’s just been great juice and just a great push for everybody in the group,” Martinez said. “He has great routes. He’s real fast. He’s good with his hands. So there’s just a lot of stuff that I can learn from him and just pick up to improve my game.”

Kelly said Ezeike’s previous experience lining up as an inside receiver has made the transition to tight end easier, adding that the position change was largely in response to Ezeike’s physical growth.

“Mike continued to grow,” Kelly said. “I think he may be over 245 (pounds) now. There aren’t many 6-foot-5, 245 pound wideouts out there, but there are a bunch of tight ends that way. So he really just grew into the position.”

Despite the quick transition to tight end, Kelly noted Ezeike is still learning the fundamentals and footwork of blocking. Lining up as a true tight end, Ezeike will be tasked with blocking defensive ends instead of being limited to blocking overhang defenders in the slot.

“Some of the run game stuff is new to him, but the passing game stuff I think he handled really, really easily and he’s made a nice transition for us,” Kelly said.

With Dulcich, Martinez and Ezeike each having spent multiple seasons with rising senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Bruins are primed to have a level of continuity between the quarterbacks and tight ends that has yet to exist since Thompson-Robinson took over the offense in 2018.

Dulcich said he has high hopes for UCLA’s offense in 2021.

“Having that kind of chemistry is pretty important,” Dulcich said. “And I think we’ve got that through our entire passing game. Every one of our go-to guys, … we’re all dialed in and we know what Dorian expects of us. And I think we’re going to be flying for sure.”