Unlike the wide receiver room, Charlotte’s tight end room will see some continuity from 2024 to 2025. Of the seven TEs currently on the roster, six were here last year. The new addition, Jake Young, is from the portal.
There are three departures; Colin Weber, Jake Clemons, and Bryce Kennon. All three were contributors to the passing game. Joey Bearns III did enter the portal in December but the coaching staff was able to convince him to stay. He has since withdrawn his name from the portal, according to his 247Sports page.
It will be interesting to see how the TEs on the roster will be utilized. Albin’s splits indicate he favors the run to the pass. In his four years at Ohio, on average, his pass attempts per game never once exceeded his run attempts per game. Last year Ohio ranked 124th of 134 in pass play % and 120th of 134 over 3 years. During his time there, Ohio ran a spread option offense, so these guys can expect plenty of blocking. Hopefully, we can get some involved in the passing game as well, but history leads me to believe we’ll see these guys assisting plenty in the run game.
Our TE room is young, but I think we have a good mix of blocking and receiving skills. Another advantage I think these guys bring to the table? Six of seven were multi-sport athletes in high school. Playing different sports can help increase awareness as well as coordination and I believe gives an athlete better control over their body.
Joey Bearns III
RS Senior
2023 Transfer from Maryland
Bearns is listed as a tight end, but in 2023, he had seven starts at full-back. Bearns put his name in the portal at the end of last December but has decided to stick with Charlotte this year. Perhaps when he heard Albin favors that option offense he decided to stick around and mash some skulls in. Before Charlotte, Bearns played for Maryland. As a freshman, he helped block for a scheme that averaged 401.5 YPG and finished 4th in the Big Ten. Coming out of high school, Bearns was listed as a 3-star athlete by the 247Sports Composite, the 74th-best tight end recruit, and the 37th-best player out of the state of Maryland. Bearns’ high school, St. Frances Academy got its start in Maryland Athletics due to one Biff Poggi, which may explain the attempt to portal after this past season.
Check out some of Joey’s Charlotte game film here: https://x.com/JoeBearns/status/1864400328717709792
Gus McGee
RS Sophomore
2023 Transfer from San Diego State
Gus came to Charlotte in 2023. That year, he saw action in 11 games, primarily on special teams. This past year was more of the same, with his number of receptions doubling from 1 to 2. McGee did have a single attempt at returning kicks and was able to return the ball for 14 yards. Before Charlotte, McGee played in three games across two seasons. A multi-sport athlete in high school, McGee had multiple stops. He started his career at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, MA. There, he helped the Eagles go 21-3 and win a Massachusetts 2A State Championship in 2019. Not only that, but he played basketball and wrestled while at St. John’s. His second stop was at Christopher Columbus High School where his team went 9-0. 247Sports awarded him 3 stars out of high school and deemed him the 84th-best TE recruit and 236th-best player in the state of Maryland. I’m hoping his experience in basketball and wrestling will help his coordination on the football field.
Check out McGee’s SDSU game film here: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14966495/6449473a9681650c60dcb25e
Brady Rhoads
RS Freshman
Charlotte Recruiting Class of 2024
Brady Rhoads is entering his second year with Charlotte. Out of high school, he took a preferred walk-on spot with the university. He used his redshirt last year after not seeing the field. At Sun Prairie West High School, he played three positions; quarterback, tight end, and wide receiver. Throughout his career, he threw for over 2,000 yards and scored 15 TDs. According to the school’s MaxPreps page, he also played basketball.
Check out Brady’s West Prairie senior year highlights here: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15768244/6531432a6899150b30bf9481
Grant Laskey
RS Freshman
Charlotte Recruiting Class of 2024
Alongside Rhoads, Laskey came to Charlotte as a part of last year’s recruiting class. Like Rhoads, Laskey also activated his redshirt. Coming out of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, GA, the 247Sports Composite deemed Laskey a 3-star athlete. According to 247Sports, Laskey was the 111th-ranked TE recruit and 211th-ranked recruit out of the state of Georgia. Lowndes High School employs a run-dominant offense, so he was mostly seen in their blocking scheme. While at Lowndes, Laskey took home a Region Title in wrestling and third place in the GA 7A 285-lb Wrestling State Championship as a junior. As a sophomore, he placed 4th in the same tournament. Another multi-sport athlete in the TE room.
Fun Fact: His grandfather, Bill Laskey, played for the Raiders!
Check out this highlight from Grant’s 7A Region Title: https://x.com/grant_laskey/status/1622012575855550465?s=46
Jason Jeffares
RS Sophomore
Charlotte Recruiting Class of 2023
This will be Jason’s 3rd year with Charlotte. He didn’t see the field his freshman year in 2023 so he activated his redshirt. Jeffares is a local kid out of Charlotte Catholic High School. While at CCHS, Jeffares played two sports, football and tennis. (Another one!) On the football team, Jeffares primarily played running back, racking up 266 yards and averaging 7.2 yards a carry his senior year. During Jeffares’ time there, Charlotte Catholic won three separate 3A Football State Championships.
Check out Jason’s Hudl profile here: https://www.hudl.com/profile/13043423/Jason-Jeffares
Connor Adair
RS Freshman
Charlotte Recruiting Class of 2024
Another redshirt freshman, Connor moved from defensive end to tight end before last season. His brother, Andrew, is on Charlotte’s offensive line. Connor spent his senior year of high school playing for IMG Academy. There, he was listed as both a DE and TE. Before IMG, Adair was enrolled at Kettle Run High School out of Nokesville, VA.
Check out Connor’s Hudl profile here: https://www.hudl.com/profile/14430630/Connor-Adair
Jake Young
RS Junior
2024 Transfer from Western Carolina. He committed on December 28th, 2024
Despite what his name might make you think, Jake is the second most experienced player in our tight end room. (Knee Slap!) Jake comes to us from Western Carolina, where he spent his last two seasons. He appeared in 12 games last year and 4 the season before. Over his career at WCU, Young snagged 28 receptions for 325 yards and 2 TDs. At Marvin Ridge High School, he caught 40 passes for 419 yards and 2 TDs. Not only that, Young contributed 49 tackles and 3 sacks to their defense. If it’s an honor coming out of a Charlotte-area high school, Young was probably either the recipient or on the list. He was an all-conference player as both a junior and a senior, all-county as a senior, and was selected for the Shrine Bowl, the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl, and the Queen City Senior Bowl. Add another multi-sport athlete to the list! He played both baseball and basketball at Marvin Ridge.
Check out Jake’s Hudl profile here: https://wtww.hudl.com/profile/11139027/Jake-Young
We’ve covered the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends. Next up we’ve got the offensive line. After that we’ll move to the defensive line, then the linebackers, and then defensive backs. I’m hoping by that point spring ball will be here and I’ll have actual football to talk about!