Tight end Hunter Tipton named the John Mackey Award Player of the Week & to the PFF Team of the Week
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After a historic performance against Boise State, Hunter Tipton received recognition from several outlets. The tight end was named to the John Mackey Award Player of the Week and was named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week.
Despite the loss, Tipton finished with 229 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. Marcus Stokes connected with the tight end early and often, and he finished the first half with 178 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
Stokes threw to him 10 times, and he brought in nine of them. Tipton left the game with an apparent injury in the third quarter, but he returned on the next drive and didn’t seem to be hampered by anything.
The 229 yards set the record for most receiving yards in a game by a tight end in program history, and the performance put him at third all time in receiving yards by any Tiger in a single game. While it was a record-breaking game for Tipton within the program, the total puts him third all-time in single-game receiving yards by a tight end in the country.
After the performance he was named the John Mackey Award Player of the Week. The award is a weekly honor that “started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by tight ends during the active season.”
The John Mackey Award is awarded at the end of the season, and the Player of the Week “does not have a direct bearing on the final John Mackey Award selection process.” The group will name a tight end of the week until they announce the eight semifinalists for the award.
Last week, SMU’s Randy Pittman Jr. received the award after recording 75 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.
Tipton was also named to the Pro Football Focus “College Football Week 2: Team of the Week.” He was one of nine players from the Group of Six to appear on the National Team of the Week for PFF.
He was also named the Offensive Player of the Week. PFF notes Tipton averaged 9.97 yards per route run and forced six missed tackles against Boise State.
He also recorded 123 yards after catch.
As a 6-foot-5 and 241-pound tight end, Tipton appears all over the field, and offensive coordinator Kevin Decker has been extremely creative with how he’s used the tight end.
Tipton looks like he’s becoming Stokes’ go-to target, and it will be interesting to see how opposing defenses challenge him throughout the season. The Tigers return to action on Saturday when they host UT-Martin.
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