CORAL GABLES – Although a majority of the offense will see new starters, it’s the Miami Hurricanes tight end room that will return with experience.

Last season, the Hurricanes tight ends combined for 794 yards and six touchdowns, with the group being led by upcoming junior Brevin Jordan. Despite battling injuries throughout the season, Jordan finished as a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best tight end.

Jordan, however, doesn’t consider himself the nation’s best tight end.

“I don’t think I’m the best tight in the country because I can’t stay on the field,” Jordan said. “I couldn’t stay on the field last year. You can’t prove you are the best if you can’t be on the court, on the field.”

Jordan, who started as a true freshman, has quickly propelled himself up NFL Draft boards and throughout his career has garnered some first-round interest from NFL scouts. In 26 career games over two seasons, Jordan has recorded 791 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 68 total receptions.

When Jordan has struggled to play because of injuries, it’s been backup tight end Will Mallory who has taken over the responsibilities. Mallory, also a junior, has helped propel the Hurricanes into the conversation for the best tight-end duo in the country.

“If there was an award for a one-two tight end punch, I think everyone in the country knows that goes to the University of Miami,” Jordan said. “We are loaded. We have me, Will Mallory, Larry Hodges, and Dom Mammarelli.”

In 2019, Mallory, who mostly saw time as the team’s backup tight end, finished the season with 293 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 receptions. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Mallory is more of a blocker than Jordan, but the two have combined to form the next group of Miami tight ends to have successful collegiate tenures.

“I think Will’s really developed into a really good all-around player in the first week I’ve been here,” said new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who was hired from SMU in January. “I like versatile tight ends. We like to use those guys and I think it helps us with our tempo. Will’s a big, long, rangy guy. He can catch the football. He’s shown so far to be a very solid blocker.”

Ranked as a four-star commit in the 2018 recruiting class, Mallory was the second addition from that class into the tight end room. Mallory chose Miami over Alabama, among other top programs.

For Mallory, a big reason that he chose to commit to Miami was the pride of playing tight end at such a prestigious university, which has developed tight ends better than most other programs in the country. Since 2011, the Hurricanes have had 11 tight ends drafted, five of which have heard their names called in the first round.

“It’s a big reason as to why I came here,” Mallory said. “I grew up watching Jeremy Shockey at the Saints while my dad [DT Mike Mallory] was there and Jimmy Graham, Greg Olsen. Just watching all of them. I think that’s something special and you don’t get that at many other places.”

Outside of Mallory and Jordan, the Hurricanes are deep at that position. Both Larry Hodges and Dominic Mammarelli are former four-star recruits and Hodges, who saw very limited playing time in 2019, recorded two receiving touchdowns in his freshman season.

“I got a bunch of good guys in that room,” tight ends coach Stephen Field said. “Larry Hodges, Dom Mammarelli, Will Huggins came over, he’s doing a good job. … We have a really good bond in there, it’s a good deal.”

While Jordan and the other veteran tight ends have helped step up and lead the room, Jordan believes the best way to do so is showing, not telling.

“We can tell them stuff. We can, you know, [tell them] you got this, got that but it’s really just our actions,” Jordan said. “When I came in, I didn’t really have older guys to look up to. I had to come in and play as a true freshman. So, when I see Dom and Larry, I’m trying to be the first guy in the building. I’m trying to tell them ‘take care of your body, you gotta do the little things, the little things make a difference.’ It’s just showing them actions.”

PHOTO CREDITS: Miami Hurricanes Football and Jeffrey Wimbrow