2019 Mackey Award Watch List: Eight tight ends from SEC featured

A collection of eight tight ends from the SEC made it onto the 2019 Mackey Award Watch List.

The award handed out annually to the best tight end in the nation revealed its primary list of contenders back on Friday. The list featured eight players from your favorite conference, and let’s get to telling you who they were in case you missed these proceedings.

First up from the Alabama Crimson Tide is Miller Forristall. Forristall could be a promising target for Tua Tagovailoa this season, as the junior tight end comes into this year on mostly hype. He’s only amassed 85 receiving yards in his years at Bama, so we’ll see if the 6-foot-5, 240-pound pass catcher can make waves.

Cheyenne O’Grady from the Arkansas Razorbacks also made it onto the watch list. O’Grady picked up 400 yards on 30 catches with six touchdowns a season ago for the Razorbacks. He should see an increase with another year under his belt this season, and could very well produce a high-quality season in Fayetteville if all goes well.

Jake Fromm may not have Isaac Nauta around any longer, but he does have Charlie Woerner who should be more than adept at trying to take the mantle. He has only had 25 receptions in his three years with UGA, but an increased role could lead to big things for the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Woerner.

Farrod Green of the Mississippi State Bulldogs is next on the list. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior is working on a light workload like several others. Green amassed just 31 receptions in his first three seasons with State, combining for 376 yards receiving with just one touchdown back in 2016. He, like so many others, will work with the ‘potential’ label on him.

Octavious Cooley represents loudly and proudly for the Ole Miss Rebels on the Mackey Award Watch List. Cooley comes into 2019 with just 12 career receptions and 238 receiving yards, and caught his first career touchdown a season ago. We’ll see how he plays out, but the 6-foot-3, 268-pound tight end should prove to be a substantial threat.

Albert Okwuegbunam is one of a few who found himself on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List and the Mackey Award Watch List. The Missouri Tigers’ standout tight end comes into 2019 with hoards of hype. This comes after posting back-to-back 400-yard seasons with six touchdowns a year ago and 10.8 yards per reception.

Dominick Wood-Anderson gives the Tennessee Volunteers a representative on the list too. Wood-Anderson caught 17 passes a season ago in his first year with the Vols. He racked up 140 yards and scored two touchdowns on the season. The 6-foot-4, 257-pound tight end should be a nice weapon to have this year for Jarrett Guarantano and if all goes well, he could very well be a contender for this award.

Finally, Jared Pinkney of the Vanderbilt Commodores made his way onto this list. Pinkney is a very strong choice himself. Pinkney, who’s also up for the Biletnikoff Award, amassed 774 receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns last year. He is a very strong player and should prove to be yet again in his senior season.