Blue White Illustrated

Size, athleticism make Kuntz a great catch for PSU T he most striking characteristic of Penn State early enrollee Zack Kuntz is summed up nicely by a nickname given to him by the children of Tim Bigelow, his high school coach. To Bigelow's kids, Kuntz is simply "The Tall Guy." Listed at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, Kuntz spent his high school career using his size and athletic ability to impose his will on opponents in the passing game. Bigelow's o8ense at Camp Hill (Pa.) High was pred- icate on 6nding mismatches in oppo- nents' coverage schemes. "If there's a guy who's 5-foot-7, 5-foot- 8 locked up man-to-man on Zack, we're throwing him the ball, regardless of what the play call is," said Bigelow, who ran Camp Hill's o8ense for Kuntz's 6rst three years of high school before taking over as head coach for his senior season. Ranked by Rivals.com as the 111th over- all prospect in the Class of 2018 and the No. 4 tight end, Kuntz accumulated more than 2,700 receiving yards and 26 touch- downs during his career at Camp Hill. He racked up 1,057 yards in the passing game on only 40 catches, averaging 26.4 yards per catch, in a sensational senior year. While the numbers in Kuntz's 6nal sea- son at Camp Hill were certainly impres- sive, they were in some ways the byproducts of a more important change, as Kuntz's body 6nally developed enough for him to transition into more of a tradi- tional tight end role. "He's gotten thicker now," Bigelow said. "He was real thin when he was younger, so we really couldn't put him in a true tight end spot because he would get banged up by defensive ends and linebackers. "As for the weight situation, I'm saying probably senior year is where he stopped growing vertically and started to grow horizontally. And that came from the weight room, that came from diet." While the physical aspect of his game took a while to fully develop, the athletic ability and the ball skills have always been there. Those attributes allowed Bigelow to use him in a variety of roles, and his 7exi- bility created mismatches for defenders. "He's got the wheels. He's got the verti- cal ability to jump. He's got the arm reach," Bigelow said. "I mean, he's got all the tools. He can be a 7ex tight end. He can be a real tight end. He can be a split end." That description will no doubt remind many Penn State fans of Mike Gesicki, the All-Big Ten tight end who played his 6nal game for the Lions in the Fiesta Bowl. Before exhausting his eligibility, Gesicki established himself as one of the premier receiving tight ends in the country, total- ing 1,242 yards and 14 touchdowns in his last two seasons. Penn State coach James Franklin said he sees similarities between Kuntz and Gesicki. Franklin's scouting report: "High school wide receiver, probably a little fur- ther along as a tight end than what Mike was, but both big-bodied guys who can really run. Kuntz, at 6-7, 215 pounds or so, came to camp and ran in the 4.6s for us, which is really impressive." The hole in Gesicki's game when he en- rolled at Penn State was that he hadn't been called on to block much in high school, at least not the kind of blocking that tight ends are expected to do at the college level. Bigelow said Kuntz will have to make a similar transition. "He's really got to work on his blocking skills as a true tight end," Bigelow said. "You know, to be able to go up against a defensive end... some of these defensive ends are men. They're just monsters. He's got to be able to go one-on-one with these guys when he's not releasing down the 6eld and he's in pass protection." More than anything, though, the Nit- tany Lions are getting a truly elite athlete in Kuntz. In addition to the 4.6-second 40-yard dash that he ran at Penn State, he won the 110-meter hurdles event at the PIAA championship meet as a junior. "At [his size], that's unheard of," Bigelow said. "In my experience with football... I don't think I've ever seen stats like that, the ability to vertically push a 6eld on the outside. "In college, he's really going to create tons of mismatches, especially as a 7ex tight end." ■ THE KUNTZ FILE STATS Had 40 catches for 1,057 yards and nine touch- downs as a senior... Finished career with more than 2,700 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns... Won the PIAA Class AA championship in the 110-meter hurdles as a junior HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 111 overall prospect nationally, No. 4 tight end and No. 3 player in Pennsylvania... Received first- team Class AA All-State recognition from the Pennsylva- nia Football Writers following his senior season... Was a four-time All-Mid Penn Capital League choice, claiming first-team honors on o1ense and defense as a senior | CLICK HERE to see video of Kuntz in action.

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