FORT COLLINS — As Henry Blackburn and Jack Howell walked out of Matt Mumme’s office, the Colorado State associate head coach had one more reason to get excited about the 2023 season.

The Rams’ starting safety duo had just told Mumme how impressed they were with one of the team’s big offseason additions, tight end Dallin Holker.

After CSU tight ends combined for just 19 catches, 197 receiving yards and one touchdown in 2022, that group has gotten a complete overhaul with the additions of Holker, a BYU transfer, and Vince Brown, who comes to Fort Collins after two seasons at the College of DuPage, where he won back-to-back junior college championships.

Take one glance at both Holker, listed at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, and Brown, 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, on the practice field at CSU and it’s easy to see why Mumme and the rest of the offensive coaches are excited about their potential.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but Dallin is very versatile,” Mumme said. “Last year, it was just not a position that Clay looked at and now it is an option for us. Really excited about what Dallin and Vince have done over the summer, in the spring and really here in the early days of camp.”

That lack of production in 2022 was uncommon for the ‘Air Raid’ offense that Mumme and head coach Jay Norvell brought from Nevada. Just look at Norvell’s last season in Reno when tight end Cole Turner, now in the NFL with the Commanders, was second on the team in receiving with 677 yards and 10 touchdowns. That was as big a selling point as CSU needed in recruiting Holker out of the transfer portal in the winter.

“I could see what they did with the tight ends in the past and I wanted to come and help them win,” Holker said.

Last year’s starting tight end at CSU, Fort Collins native Tanner Arkin, is now at Illinois, while Jordan Williams, who worked his way onto the field near the end of his true freshman season and recorded the only touchdown from the Rams tight ends, now has the chance to sit back and develop under two players with plenty of college experience.

Colorado State tight end Jordan Williams pulls in a pass for a touchdown as Air Force cornerback Eian Castonguay defends Nov. 19 at Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

The Associated Press

Holker, who had nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown in three games before leaving the Cougars in 2022, is the leader of the new-look tight ends. He started three games as a true freshman in 2018, then spent two years in Chile doing missionary service for the church of Latter-day Saints.

“Dallin has all the qualities that we look for in a tight end and I think he fits our offense perfectly,” Norvell said last month at Mountain West media days. “He understands space, he’s a good wide receiver, he’s got great hands, he’s very smart.”

He returned to BYU in 2021 and had 14 receptions for 200 yards and a touchdown while helping the Cougars go 10-3, including big wins over Pac-12 programs Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and USC. That big game experience could go a long way for the Rams in 2023.

BYU tight end Dallin Holker (32) is tackle day Southern California safety Calen Bullock (27) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Ashley Landis

“That focus and preparation every week, you’ve gotta be on top of it,” Holker said. “You’ve gotta practice hard. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve seen in my career is the weeks where we practiced hard, it translated to the game.”

Holker’s presence has already been a huge benefit for Rams quarterback Clay Millen, who’s now got another weapon he can trust heading into year two as a starter.

“Last year, we didn’t get a lot of throws down the middle of the field and in our offense, we need that,” Millen said. “I think Dallin and Vince have come in and helped out Jordan, too. Just having those guys that I can trust, they know defenses in college, they’re experienced, I think that helps a lot.”

It’s not just Millen, it’s also star wide receiver Tory Horton who is loving the additions of Holker and Brown. Despite being constantly double-teamed by opposing defenses last season, Horton still managed to lead the conference in receiving yards, but now is looking forward to a lot more 1-on-1 matchups with defenses unable to constantly show looks with two safeties high up the field.

“They’re going to eat up the middle,” Horton said. “Good tight ends will of course be a headache for the defense. That’s just something that we really needed.”

Brigham Young tight end Dallin Holker competes Sept. 10 in Provo, Utah.

The Associated Press