There are two tight end prospects playing Friday night in the Fight Hunger Bowl. One is Washington junior Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who won the John Mackey Award as the top tight end in college football and received a second-round grade from the draft advisory board.
The other would elicit an immediate "Who?" from all but die-hard BYU fans. Even Cougars head coach Bronco Mendenhall sounded a bit surprised that redshirt senior Kaneakua Friel is drawing notice from NFL teams.
"There are a lot of teams that like how he looks at tight end," Mendenhall told the Salt Lake Tribune. "He's been under the radar, but the amount of attention he is getting has been interesting. That has sustained it from the beginning of the year all the way until now."
That statement is all the more surprising given that Friel (6-foot-5, 261 pounds) has been barely a bit player for BYU, with 11 receptions for 128 yards and one touchdown this season. Those totals rank seventh, seventh, and sixth on the team respectively.
But Friel was a bigger part of the offense last season, recording 30 receptions for 308 yards and five touchdowns. A career-high 101 yards and two scores came in the season opener against Washington State and its standout safety Deone Bucannon.
The Huskies have their own sensational defenders in hybrid linebacker/defensive back Shaq Thompson, who has the athleticism to take over a game despite being a true sophomore, and cornerback Marcus Peters. If Friel can make plays against them in his final college game, he could become known to everyone.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
