Joe Sloan is Ready to Rip It to Kentucky Tight Ends

An unresolved enigma may have found its answer, thanks to Will Stein, Joe Sloan, and a group of dynamic Kentucky tight ends.

“Is Kentucky finally going to throw it to the tight ends?” If I had a nickel for every time I heard that in the summer ahead of a Kentucky football season, I could have retired long ago.

Big Blue Nation watched stellar tight end play for decades. James Whalen was an All-American in the Air Raid. Derek Smith and Jacob Tamme followed in quick succession, helping light up scoreboards as dynamic pass-catchers. CJ Conrad brought some juice as a true freshman, but Kentucky fans were left wanting more.

The thirst of Cats’ fans was partially quenched once Vince Marrow made the move to Louisville. Willie Rodriguez and Josh Kattus ranked third and fourth in receiving during the 2025 campaign. They combined for 40 receptions, 505 yards, and 3 touchdowns. It was the most productive we’ve seen the position since Tamme was an All-SEC pass-catcher.

Kattus’ time is done, but Rodriguez still has two years of eligibility remaining. Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan has a plan to put the tight end to work.

“He’s a really good player. The vision is we’re going to throw him the ball, and Willie knows that. I’ve shown him many ways,” Sloan said on Wednesday, drawing laughter from the audience of media members.

“Willie is a really good talent. He’s a really good talent. I think when you look at both Coach Stein’s offense at Oregon and what we did at LSU, the tight end has been a focal point of the offense in the passing game. I think you can create really good matchups with tight ends.”

LSU transformed a basketball player, Trey’Dez Green, into a tight end who caught nearly 30 passes for five touchdowns last fall. Tight end Kenyon Sadiq is Oregon’s second-leading receiver with 40 receptions for 490 yards and eight touchdowns. Kentucky’s new offensive coaches know how to get the ball into the hands of tight ends, and they believe they have the talent to make some magic.

“We’ll absolutely use our tight ends in our offense to create advantages and create matchups where we win,” said Sloan. “I know Willie’s excited about that, and I know we’re excited about him. And I’ll say this, we’re excited about Henry (Boyer), we’re excited about Mikkel (Skinner), we’re excited about all the guys at that position, because I think we can be really creative with what we’re going to do moving forward.”