Blue White Illustrated

ack Kuntz isn't naive about the op- portunity at hand. Barring an unforeseen change at the top of Penn State's depth chart, the redshirt sophomore tight end isn't going to become a starter in his third year in the program. That designation, of course, goes to Pat Freiermuth, a teammate whom Kuntz describes as one of the best tight ends in the country. Still, with the graduation of veteran Nick Bowers this off-season, Kuntz is now the next-longest-tenured tight end in the room. And with a strong perform- ance this preseason, that could equate to Kuntz's first big opportunity with the Nittany Lions. "We lost Nick Bowers last year and he did a great job for our offense. And Pat has done a tremendous job last year and he's going to have a great year this year as well," Kuntz told reporters at Penn State's virtual media days in early October. "I just want to be a guy that the offense can trust and depend on in any situation, and just really be the player that everyone needs. I'm just going to go out there and do the best I can and try to execute." Early indications out of Penn State's practices ahead of the delayed 2020 sea- son were that Kuntz was positioning himself to get that chance. Coming off a redshirt season in which he appeared in every game but saw the majority of his 124 snaps come on special teams, Kuntz appeared on the team's depth chart ahead of redshirt freshman Brenton Strange this past spring. Strange was the backup in Penn State's opener at Indiana, but Kuntz is competing for play- ing time, as are freshmen Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren. While tight ends coach Tyler Bowen had previously issued positive reviews for Kuntz's development during the pro- gram's COVID-disrupted spring, he pro- vided an updated assessment in mid-October as Penn State was preparing for its Big Ten opener at Indiana. That, too, was glowing. "I think Zack has made huge strides," Bowen said. "He's starting to put it all to- gether with that physical strength com- ing, and Zack is a super sharp guy. So he's starting to put it all together and to be able to produce it on the field. I've seen him take a step in that area this training camp." When he signed with the Nittany Lions out of Camp Hill (Pa.) High in 2018, Kuntz was listed at 6-foot-7, 221 pounds. He has since reshaped his body to where he now checks in at 252 pounds. That process took more effort than Kuntz's development enhances depth at tight end | Z RISING STAR Kuntz is expecting to play a bigger role in Penn State's offense fol- lowing Nick Bow- ers' graduation. The redshirt soph- omore tight end has gained more than 30 pounds since arriving at PSU in 2018. Photo by Steve Manuel

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