Zack

Kuntz

Taylor hauled in a 57-yard reception in the Jets Hall of Fame game against the Browns but caught only one additional pass throughout the preseason. In addition to Taylor, the Jets also released/waived QB Tim Boyle, FB Nick Bawden, RB Travis Dye, RB Zonovan Knight, WR Alex Erickson, WR Jerome Kapp, WR TJ Luther, TE E.J. Jenkins, TE Zack Kuntz, C Trystan Colon, OL Chris Glaser, OL Grant Hermanns OL Brent Laing, OL Adam Pankey, OL Greg Senat, DL Deslin Alexandre, DL Bruce Hector, DL Jalyn Holmes, DL Tanzel Smart, DL Marquiss Spencer, DL Pita Taumeopenu, LB Claudin Cherelus, LB Samuel Eguavoen, LB Caleb Johnson, LB Nick Vigil, S Jarrick Bernard-Conversee, S Trey Dean, CB Brandin Echols, S Craig James, CB Derrick Langford, CB Nehemiah Shelton, S Marquis Waters, CB Jimmy Moreland, P Thomas Morstead.

Kuntz (6’7/255) left high school as a four-star recruit with a background in track, basketball, and football. He found himself parked behind future NFL starter Pat Freiermuth at Penn State and ultimately transferred to Old Dominion after three uneventful years in Happy Valley. Kuntz quickly made it clear that he a cut above the rest of his small school competition. He put together a 73-692-5 receiving in his first season as a starter since high school. Kuntz was off to a slow start in 2022 and a season-ending injury denied him the opportunity to rebound over the second half of the year. To say Kuntz crushed the combine would be an understatement. He broke the event, setting the highest RAS score in the history of the metric. Kuntz did this through a 4.55 Forty, 40-inch vert, and 128-inch broad jump. The historical combine give Kuntz a sky-high ceiling, though his lack of experience is apparent in both his route-running and blocking prowess.

Kuntz (6'8/251") tore apart the C-USA last year in a breakout campaign, catching 73-of-112 targets for 692 yards and five touchdowns for the surprisingly bowl eligible Monarchs. His 112 targets are by far the highest number among returning FBS tight ends, eclipsing Notre Dame star TE Michael Mayer by 27 targets. It’s easy to understand why he was prioritized in the passing game so often, as Kuntz ran a blazing 4.57s 40 in addition to an outstanding 40-inch vertical leap and 10-8 broad jump. Kuntz will be a focal point of the passing game when ODU faces Virginia Tech at home on September 2 in their season opener.

Kuntz (6'8/245) has been an absolute target hog for Old Dominion this season, which continued on Saturday as he led all Monarchs players in receiving stats on the day. Kuntz found the end zone on a 20-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Monarchs their first score of the day, and was one of quarterback Hayden Wolff’s favorite targets throughout this one. Kuntz has been one of the best tight ends in the nation since transferring from Penn State this offseason. Now finally getting a chance to shine, he has posted a receiving line of 52/545/4 on the year. ODU will travel to Middle Tennessee in Week 11 in hopes of pushing its winning streak to three games.

Kuntz (6'8/245) was clearly quarterback Hayden Wolff’s favorite target in this one, which led to Kuntz being the beneficiary of a five yard touchdown for ODU’s first offensive touchdown of the day. Kuntz’s eight receptions on the day tie a season-high that he has reached on two other occasions this season, as the former Penn State tight end has now caught 43 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns. He and the Monarchs will face Florida International in Week 10.

Kuntz (6'7/252) signed on with Penn State as a top-150 recruit -- right on the nose at No. 150 in the 247Sports composite rankings -- in the 2018 class. Despite the buzz around him coming out of the prep ranks, the redshirt sophomore was unable to make any sort of a real dent in the depth chart during his time in Happy Valley. While Kuntz appeared in 21 games during his time with the Big Ten outfit, the vast bulk of his game reps came on special teams. The lack of production, here, is less than palatable, but Kuntz should have a real chance for playing time with the Monarchs. As for the Penn State side of the equation, Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson are in line to lead the tight ends room this fall. Count Kuntz’s departure as a minor thinning of depth for PSU.

Kuntz (6'7/258), a four-star recruit out of high school, received the majority of his reps on special teams during his three seasons at Penn State. This past season he played in each of the Nittany Lions’ seven games, but did not record any offensive stats. In 21 games played, the redshirt sophomore caught three passes for 26 yards. Kuntz will have up to three seasons of eligibility remaining at his next stop, should he go through with a transfer.

Kuntz (6'8/258) appeared in 13 games last season, primarily on special teams and as a backup to Pat Freiermuth who sustained a season-ending injury in PSU’s 41-21 defeat at the hands of Iowa on Saturday. The four-star TE will join Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren in a four-man rotation that will attempt to replace the All Big Ten caliber tight end Freiermuth. Penn State will try to secure their first win of the 2020 season this Saturday against Michigan.

Kuntz (6'8/221) put pen to paper with the Nittany Lions on Dec. 20 following a commitment to the program of over a year. What stands out most with the towering tight end prospect is his ability as a receiver -- he has legitimate game-breaking ability when matched up with linebackers and safeties and even possesses some upside playing out of the slot. He’ll need to work on tightening up his routes with the Nittany Lions and could stand to bulk up some, but the offensive possibilities, here, are enticing.