UF position preview: Gators look for more impact at tight end
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The fourth in a position-by-position look at the 2026 Gators leading up to fall camp:
TODAY: TIGHT ENDS
What to expect
The Gators have struggled to find a force at tight end ever since Kyle Pitts’s generational 2020 season, when he was a first-team All-American in 2020 and eventual 2021 first-round draft pick.
In 2025, Florida managed just 402 yards and five touchdowns from three players. Despite former coach Billy Napier’s emphasis on tight ends, the unit never combined for 500 yards or six scores as a unit during his four seasons — compared with 770 yards and 12 scores for Pitts during one special season.
Incoming coach Jon Sumrall and offfensive coordinator Buster Faulkner hope to eventually generate better production from the position, but also have few proven options entering their first season in Gainesville.
Redshirt Amir Jackson, a former two-sport star in Portal high school in Georgia, has intriguiging potential, but modest production in two seasons. Redshirt freshman Micah Jones appeared in one game.
Sumrall scoured the transfer portal for options.
Luke Harpring, son of former Orlando Magic forward Matt Harpring, followed Faulkner from Georgia Tech, where the 6-foot-3, 236-pound Harpring had 13 catches for 158 yards in 2025.
James Madison transfer Lacota Dippre, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound redshirt junior, had 17 receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns for a College Playoff Playoff team. Meanwhile, Evan Chieca, a 6-foot-4, 257-pound transfer from the University of New Haven, had 31 catches for 255 yards and four scores for the FCS school in 2025.
True freshman Heze Kent is an intriguing project at 6-foot-6, 313 pounds with impressive speed and athleticism for his size. Tripp Brown Jr. was a three-year starter at Tampa Plant and joined Kent in the 2026 class.
Returners
Amir Jackson, redshirt sophomore: three catches, 29 yards, one touchdown
Micah Jones, redshirt freshman
Departures
Hayden Hansen (transfer Oklahoma): 30 catches, 254 yards, two touchdowns
Scott Isacks III (transfer UAB)
Cameron Kossmann (transfer Boston College)
Tony Livingston (transfer Baylor): 11 catches, 119 yards, two touchdowns
Arrivals
Evan Chieca (redshirt junior; transfer University of New Haven)
Lacota Dippre (redshirt junior; transfer James Madison)
Luke Harpring (redshirt sophomore; transfer Georgia Tech)
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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