There has been a lot of talk this week about Tigers’ tight end Hunter Tipton and for good reason. Tipton recorded 229 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions in the loss against Boise State, and it felt like his breakout game to be Memphis’ No. 1 option. Tipton was quiet in the first two games of the season, catching only five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. While he didn’t make a ton of grabs through the first two weeks, he flashed potential on multiple plays. In the season-opener, he found open space and scored the first touchdown of the game, and against Arkansas State, he had a long 22-yard reception. Against Boise State, Tipton caught his first pass of the game on the first drive for a 41-yard gain. On the next drive, he went 87 yards for his second touchdown on the year. The tight end was targeted 10 times against the Broncos, which is more than the amount of combined catches from the rest of the receivers. So, it raises a question moving forward. Is Tipton turning into Marcus Stokes’ go-to option or was he just feeding the hot hand? At 6-foot-5 and 241 pounds, the tight end is a big target for the quarterback, and offensive coordinator Kevin Decker is finding interesting ways to use his big weapon. Tipton has lineup up at tight end, at the numbers and in the slot, but he has the athleticism and agility to make plays anywhere on the field. Through three games, Tipton has a receiving grade of 88, which leads the team, and he ranks No. 7 in the country, among players with a minimum of 10 targets. Only three Tigers have recorded more than 10 targets this season, and Tipton is the only player currently with more than eight receptions. After Saturday’s game, Tipton was awarded the John Mackey Award Player of the Week, which is a weekly award given to the best tight end of the week. The John Mackey Award is also given as an award at the end of the season, and there’s reason to believe that Tipton has the potential to be named a finalist for the award. Following the success last week, Stokes will likely target Tipton a lot more moving forward, and it will be interesting to see how the connection works, especially when the Tigers get into their conference slate. Most teams will likely struggle to cover the tight end in all the ways that Decker uses him in the offense.
