(The fifth of 10 parts previewing the 2010 Maryland football season)
Maryland's tight end production in the receiving game dipped in 2008.
Then it fell off a cliff last year.
Let's take a glimpse of how tight ends have fared throughout the Ralph Friedgen era with a chart recycled from this time last year:
MARYLAND TIGHT END PRODUCTION, 2001-2009
| Year | Rec. | Yards | TD |
| 2001 | 19 | 201 | 1 |
| 2002 | 11 | 101 | 2 |
| 2003 | 18 | 197 | 1 |
| 2004 | 36 | 516 | 3 |
| 2005 | 61 | 951 | 7 |
| 2006 | 51 | 528 | 4 |
| 2007 | 54 | 597 | 3 |
| 2008 | 40 | 420 | 3 |
| 2009 | 27 | 237 | 0 |
Toss out the clear outlier --- Vernon Davis's bust-out season in 2005 --- and Maryland's tight ends were a fairly reliable lot since the middle of the Aughts.
There's 35-55 catches, to go with 400-600 yards and three (or maybe four) touchdowns). And then last year, the Terps managed nothing close to that.
The explanation, naturally, is that Maryland needed its tight ends for blocking more last fall because of a woebegone offensive line. Starter Tommy Galt figured to be (and was) more useful as a blocker, and he collected more than two receptions just one time.
And that's fine, since Galt was never hyped as a multi-dimensional tight end. He knew his role, did it well and enjoyed a solid enough senior season after playing sparingly in his first four years in the program.
The bigger questions revolved around a couple guys who were recruited as potential receiving threats: Devonte Campbell and Lansford Watson.
Watson never made a dent in the passing game after offering some promise as a redshirt freshman in 2008, and now he's up to 260 pounds. He might now be on the Jason Goode track (albeit as a slightly larger player) to act as a complementary receiver rather than a primary tight end.
Those duties could easily land in Campbell's hands. The sophomore started the last four games of 2009, and he could yet wind up as a dangerous option in the passing game.
Campbell's greatest strength might be his versatility, something the Terps prioritized in the spring. Coach Ralph Friedgen has long loved the ability to work out of multiple formations from the same personnel group, and Campbell's abilities --- as a receiver, as a blocking tight end and even as a fullback --- suggest he could be a critical component for Maryland to make an on-field shift without a substitution.
That by itself makes Campbell the favorite to be the first tight end on the field on Sept. 6.
Matt Furstenburg, who played more on special teams than offense a year ago, could also play a role. But he seems more likely to assume Galt's blocking chores than emerge as a priority target for quarterback Jamarr Robinson.
The wild card, of course, is Will Yeatman. The Notre Dame transfer could help in a few areas, but the greatest question with him is how ready he'll be to play after a couple years away from the sport. Yeatman played lacrosse at Maryland the last two years, and it'll be curious to see how quickly he can get back up to speed in football.
Elsewhere on the roster, walk-on Ryan Schlothauer (once incredibly spindly, he's now listed at 250 pounds) and redshirt freshman Dave Stinebaugh have some work to do to become factors beyond special teams this season.
Then again, it is not impossible for either to make a difference. The Terps' recovery from a 2-10 season will require some help from everywhere, particularly on offense where a new quarterback will be broken in. For the tight ends, that will mean posing at least a modest threat to accomplish something in the passing game, which didn't happen last year.
To wit: The unit combined for more than four receptions just once in 2009, a six-catch, 43-yard outing against Rutgers.
There are a lot of bodies here, and at least something of a track record for most of them. Unfortunately, none of the options possess a particularly sparkling resume.
The good thing for Maryland is everyone in the unit except Yeatman will be around for at least two more years. There's room to grow and improve, but there's no way to tell if it happens fast enough to truly help out an offense with serious questions this fall.
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