It's been a while since the tight end position was relevant at BC.
Hunter Long departed in 2021 and it hasn't been the same. George Takacs never worked out and last year's path to an ACC championship was mostly only created by Tommy Castellanos and Kye Robichaux, with some help from Lewis Bond.
Jeremiah Franklin performed admirably at times, but the Eagles haven't had a real threat at tight end since Long. That could be changing...
Morales could be that guy
Kamari Morales was brought in from North Carolina to hopefully be that guy.
In 2021 and 2022, Morales was productive. In his sophomore year he played in 13 games with 24 grabs (220 yards) and five TD's. His junior year was a 29-catch, 358 yard campaign with four touchdowns. Morales took a back seat last season, playing in 12 games but only getting 11 balls for 158 yards.
During spring ball he certainly showed an ability to catch in traffic and get yards after the catch. Morales looks bigger than his listed 6'4" and 245lbs too, a lot bigger. He should be an addition to the run game as far as being able to move other large humans out of the way for Ward or Robichaux as well. I have no reason to believe creative minds in the offensive meetings with plenty of big time experience and future Hall of Famers won't be able to find ways to get him the ball, especially in the red zone. I'm expecting the former Tar Heel to be a noticeable factor early on.
Franklin still a valuable piece
Big body that can catch and is willing to block. If we've learned nothing else from the last 3-5 seasons here, it's that depth matters a lot more than many believe it does. Franklin can give Morales breathers and get you a third down conversion when you need it. He should be a factor on goal line packages and during possessions when BC wants to run the ball down an opponent's throat. Just a solid piece to the puzzle and remember, he's only a junior. You can never have enough big guys who can do the little things consistently.
Can local guys make a few plays?
Holden Symonds (Melrose/Governor's Academy) and Matt Ragan (Westborough/Lawrence Academy) are still very young and might not see a ton of action, but there's promise there. Both guys had their moments during the 15 spring practices, are 6'6" and 6'5" respectively and both right around 250lbs. If Morales or Franklin is banged up and misses a week or two, one or both of these guys can have that Charlie Gordinier type day when you need it. Expecting them to step up production wise if there's a season-ending injury might be a big ask, mostly because of the lack of reps with starters they'd be getting in practice. Don't expect a ton out of them just yet, but I think they can be more than serviceable for this team in 2024 if called upon.