Confession time: Tight end is my favorite position in football.
To me, they're the most "football" among all the football players. I fully realize the idiocy of that statement: by definition, every position in the game of football is a football player. But I love the versatility of the position. I love how tight ends do a little bit of both: one one play, they can block down on a tackle or kick out an end. The next, they could run a seam 40 yards down the field.
These human Swiss Army Knives are oftentimes the skeleton key to an entire offense. If the defense places a linebacker over the top of them, they'll pass; if it's a safety, they'll run. To me, the magic of football is when one can whittle this impossibly complex game down to a simple if-else concept, and that's what a good tight end allows his team to do.
In short, all these guys are underpaid.
$1.2 million: Vince Marrow, Kentucky+
$1.15 million: Jeff Banks, Texas+
$875,000: Des Kitchings, Virginia*
$850,000: Robert Anae, NC State*; Todd Hartley, Georgia+
$750,000: Shawn Elliott, South Carolina+; Buster Faulkner, Georgia Tech*
$625,000: Chris Thomsen, Florida State+
$600,000: Drew Mehringer, Oregon; Kyle Richardson, Clemson+
$575,000: Joe Jon Finley, Oklahoma+
$560,000: Freddie Kitchens, North Carolina+
$550,000: Russ Callaway, Florida+; Bryan Ellis, Alabama
$525,000: Stu Holt, Virginia Tech+
$500,000: Grant Cain, Indiana+; Slade Nagle, LSU+
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS: Offensive Coordinator | Defensive Coordinator | Special Teams Coordinator | Offensive Line | Defensive Line | Wide Receivers | Defensive Backs | Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Linebackers
$475,000: Freddie Whittingham, Utah+
$450,000: Ben Aigamaua, Auburn; Erik Link, Missouri+; Kevin Sumlin, Maryland+; Brian Wozniak, Michigan State+
$425,000: Jason McEndoo, Oklahoma State
$400,000: Keenan Bailey, Ohio State; Brett Bartolone, Colorado; Steve Casula, Michigan
$350,000: Robby Discher, Illinois+; Nate Letton, Wisconsin
$325,000: Joe Cox, Ole Miss; Abdul Hodge, Iowa; Josh Stepp, Cincinnati; Morgan Turner, Arkansas
$310,000: Jerry Neuheisel, UCLA
$300,000: Brian Blackmon, UCF+; Jon Boyer, Oregon State; Nick Whitworth, Washington State+
Missing: Matt Adkins, Arizona; Jon Cooper, Mississippi State; Taylor Mouser, Iowa State; Jordan Paopao, Washington; Mike Saffell, Cal
* - Offensive coordinator
* - Co-offensive coordinator/run or pass game coordinator/special teams coordinator/associate or assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.