The 2026 Jackrabbit tight end room brings back everything you could want; experience, production, and youth full of upside. Tight end coach Vince Benedetto is in his second year leading the room and says that the year 1 to year 2 jump for everyone has been huge. Last year the staff was still getting to know each other and the offensive philosophy and so were the players. The year two depth is also much stronger according to Benedetto and the confidence of the whole group is greater.
The room is led by a trio of seniors who provide a ton of leadership and all made plays in 2015. #88 Greyton Gannon (6-4, 235, SR), #82 Coleman Kuntz (6’3, 240, SR), and #43 Andrew Gustad (6’1, 235, SR) are drastically different players but form a dangerous trio. Gannon had a big year with 33 receptions for 372 yards and 3 TDS. Coach Benedetto says he has such a knack for making plays. He has elite ball skills and his ability to catches passes in traffic are exceptional. He also credited Greyton with becoming a great leader in the room and appreciates how he is mentoring all of the young guys. Coleman Kuntz transferred from Sac State and never was fully healthy last season. Jackrabbit fans got a glimpse of who he can be in this offense towards the end of last season. In limited action he still managed 7 receptions for 82 yards and a TD. He is looking explosive and fast according to Coach Benedetto and he’s going to surprise us this year. One thing that did stand out about Kuntz, even with the injuries, was his exceptional run blocking last season. This should be a fun duo! Gustad developed a bit of a cult following last year. His nickname “GOOSE” is easy to chant and when you are only scoring touchdowns or earning first downs, it’s fun to do! He caught 3 passes for 3 touchdowns and had 5 carries for 14 yards but all were good for a first down. Coach Benedetto says he is a perfect example of accountability and toughness. He was in his first year last year of playing the fullback position and learned a lot about leverage and pad level.
A trio of younger guys are making strides and will be competing for playing time. #10 Brayden Delahoyde (6’5, 245, So) continues to flash his potential. Last year he had two receptions and both were for touchdowns, including the game winner against Montana State. He’s such an intriguing player with his size, speed, and athleticism. If he can put it all together, watch out! Benedetto says that he has made big strides in the run game and his confidence and physicality have improved. A young player to keep an eye on this fall is #87 Ben Brooks (6’8, 235). He came up in multiple conversations last fall as a freshman who was standing out and as a player to watch this year. Obviously he is a huge target. Coach Benedetto says that Ben has a great understanding of the offense and playbook and says that his high school experience as a QB helps with how he sees and understands things. I’m excited to see Ben get his opportunities this fall and what he can do with them. #49 Jozef Reisz (6’3, 235) was a wide receiver in high school but has added 20 pounds since getting to campus and flashes good ball skills. He had a good spring according to coach and is developing in the offense and as a run blocker.
Coach Benedetto said that there used to be a time where the tight ends, hbacks, and fullbacks took some time to develop physically but that is no longer the case with this years freshmen. Fullback #40 Gavin McLaren (6’2, 250, FR) will be pushing Gustad for playing time. #42 Sawyer Josewski (6’5, 240, FR), #83 Brayden Hoben (6’5, 240, FR) and #84 Teague Cantrall (6’5, 240) have the size and physical presence to play now. It just depends on how they develop with the offense. Coach Benedetto believes that they will all have a chance to contribute this season as the new 5 for 5 rule has essentially eliminated the redshirt. This groups development will be fun to track this year.
This is a really interesting room! It is led by 3 high level seniors, has a trio of unproven players that posses athleticism and physical traits that are elite, and four freshmen who physically appear ready to play. I’m excited to see how this group functions in the offense and who we see making the bus for road contests. Special teams will likely play a role in that decision but being trusted to make the blocks and be reliable and dependable in the offense will be big factors.
Go Jacks!
Matt
