It's July, which means we're officially one month from the start of training camp.

We'll be taking a look at each position group over the next few days and weeks and I've decided to start with the tight ends. This group is going isn't talked about nearly enough when it comes to breaking down how BC might look this season. Since Hunter Long left, the team really hasn't found a way to get the tight ends involved nearly as much, but that could and should be changing this season with Steve Shimko and Rod Chudzinski running the show.

First and foremost, George Takacs is back. The 6'6, 243lb pass catcher out of Naples wasn't exactly a lock to come back, but after weighing his options, Takacs returns. Most importantly, he returns healthy. Takacs caught just 26 balls for 256 yards in 2022, but seven of them came early in the Rutgers game. Takacs is a huge target and arguably the best red zone threat the team has this season if he stays healthy. I'd be stunned if he wasn't more involved this season. If the running game is going to get going, he's going to need to provide some excellent blocking too, which is something Coach Hafley and the offensive coaches were talking about during spring ball. There's a lot of faith in that building that Takacs can be a game changer.

Another guy in the group that's gotten overlooked so far in his career is Jeremiah Franklin. Franklin - a 6'3, 238lb sophomore out of Maryland could be in line for a lot more action this season. Hafley has spoken very high of Franklin and his blocking ability, but has also noted that he's a very capable receiving tight end as well. Franklin was forced to line duties last year, which is why he caught just five balls for 27 yards. Franklin provides Emmett Morehead with another massive target. Between Takacs and Franklin, the receivers aren't going to be the only ones heavily involved this season, don't be surprised when both of them have their names called quite often.

Those two guys are the clear 1-2 punch at the position this year, but there's going to be some others making a push for some playing time in camp. There are currently three red-shirt juniors who can all make some noise.

Charlie Gordinier is probably third on the depth chart right now. The 6'5, 243lb'er out of New Jersey has mostly played special teams, but again, with the new voices running the show on offense, you've got to expect more from this group. Gordinier, Hans Lils (PA), Tommy Birmingham (NY) and local guy Andrew Landry (Newton North) are all in that red-shirt junior category and will be battling throughout camp for time.

There's also red-shirt sophomore Quintayvious Hutchins from Alabama and red-shirt freshman Matt Ragan (Westborough, Lawrence Academy) who could sneak onto the radar as potential backups to Takacs and Franklin.

Last but certainly not least, the biggest guy listed amongst the tight ends on the roster right now is true freshman Holden Symonds. Symonds is from Melrose, went to Governor's Academy and is listed at 6'6, 247lbs. Symonds was a force for Gov's and with that size, who knows? Maybe he can make some noise and force his way into the conversation when it comes to playing time.

While there's a lot of talk about how BC is going to replace Zay Flowers and most of the attention is on the receiver's room - and rightfully so - there is a very good tight end group here that might fly under the radar for a while, but ultimately could produce quite a bit. This is a good group with a lot of size and skill and should make Morehead's life much easier if Chudzinski and Shimko can find a way to get them involved more.