Travis Vokolek (neck) announces early retirement

Vokolek was hurt on a kickoff return in the first quarter against the Cardinals. He was unable to get up and was placed on a medical stretcher and carted off. It looks to be a serious injury for Vokolek that will keep him out beyond Week 6.

Vokolek’s (6’6/259) college career began in 2017 when he committed to Rutgers as a three-star recruit. In two seasons at Rutgers, he totaled 17 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns before transferring to Nebraska for his junior season. He earned an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and spent the final three seasons of his career with the Huskers, finishing with a receiving line of 40-458-2 over that span. Far from an elite NFL prospect, Vokolek’s above-average size and athleticism provide enough for a team to work with, but he’ll be a project at the next level. His eight drops on 96 career targets are enough to suggest he has anything but natural hands.

Head coach Scott Frost made the announcement earlier this week that his veteran TE will not be participating in spring practice, but it shouldn’t impact his status for this fall. With Nebraska’s 2021 leading TE Austin Allen heading to the NFL, Vokolek (6'6/250) should get a heavier role in the upcoming season. With former starting QB Adrian Martinez transferring out to Kansas State, he’s missing valuable reps and building chemistry with Texas transfer Casey Thompson who’s expected to be the starter this season. This could possibly lead to a slow start for the fifth-year senior.

Vokolek (6'6/260) was seen on the field briefly during pregame warmups, but he will not be available to play Saturday afternoon. The redshirt senior tight end has yet to appear in a game this season. Junior Austin Allen has been the Huskers’ starting tight end in each of their first two games, catching six passes for 84 yards.

Interesting that Frost is still unsure on this, as Vokolek transferred to Nebraska in mid-June and it would seem that there has been enough time that player and team would have touched base on the waiver by now. Regardless, if the 6-foot-6, 250-pound junior does not opt to apply for an eligibility waiver, he will be required to sit out the fall campaign. Vokolek caught 16 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns with the Scarlet Knights last season.

Vokolek (6'6/250) was also considering Iowa and Kansas State, both of whom he visited earlier in the spring. He finished out his visitation slate with a trip to Lincoln at the end of May. At Rutgers this past season, Vokolek logged a 16-184-2 receiving line while making seven starts across 12 total games played. The former three-star recruit will be required to sit out the fall campaign in order to satisfy NCAA transfer regulations.

Vokolek (6'6/250) was limited by a hamstring for much of spring practice, but the expectation was that he needed to be a key option in the passing game come fall. That won’t be happening now, with it being reported that the junior tight end hopes to transfer to a school that’s closer to his Missouri home. Vokolek is the second tight end to leave the Rutgers program during the offseason, with Nakia Griffin-Stewart moving on to Pittsburgh as a graduate transfer.

Vokolek (6'6/250) played in all 12 games for the Scarlet Knights last season, with seven starts, and he posted a receiving stat line of 16/184/2. The junior is the team’s leading returnee at tight end, and RU will need more production from him if the offense is to improve. Unfortunately, the hamstring issue has limited Vokolek during spring camp. “He’s put on some real size and obviously he came here at about 200 pounds and now he’s about 250,” Rutgers TE coach Nunzio Campanile told the Star-Ledger. “Obviously we expect a lot of big things from him in the fall. He’s gotta be one of our key playmakers come September.’”

Vokolek (6'6/235) came through with a 27-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter to put Rutgers out to an early 7-0 lead. Alas, the Scarlet Knights would later be unable to hold onto a fourth-quarter lead, with the loss dropping them to a dreadful 1-11 for the season. While he impressed during spring practice, the sophomore tight end was unable to make any sort of a true difference over the course of the campaign. He finishes up having caught 16 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Vokolek will be back to try for a breakout campaign next fall.

“He’s an excellent ball catcher. What he’s improved on is his blocking,” said TE coach Vince Okruch, who passes along that Vokolek had little experience at the position coming out of high school a year ago. The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder caught just one pass for 14 yards as a true freshman, but those numbers figure to balloon this coming season. On top of Vokolek’s personal development on the field, the expectation in New Brunswick is that the team will be utilizing the two-tight end more frequently than they did in 2017, which should afford a fair number of opportunities to the sophomore if he can continue to make strides in August camp.