Week Six Overnight Sensation: Jalen Wydermyer, Tight End
Each Monday during the 2019 Texas A&M football season, we’ll identify a first or second-year Aggie player who delivered an exceptional performance and earned the distinction of being the week’s ‘Overnight Sensation.’
Some would say the biggest piece missing from the 2019 iteration of the Texas A&M offense is the tight end position. In Jimbo Fisher's first season that role was filled by consensus All-American Jace Sternberger.
In Saturday's 47-28 loss, the heir apparent at the position seems to have announced himself on the biggest stage as true freshman tight end Jalen Wydermyer hauled in two touchdown passes from Kellen Mond against the No. 1 team in the nation.
Wydermyer, who was criminally-underrated by the national services coming out of high school as a three-star prospect from Dickinson, Texas, now has four receiving touchdowns at the midway point of his first season of college football. (He also scored Texas A&M's only touchdown against then No. 1 Clemson in Death Valley earlier in the season.)
TexAgs co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci was high on Wydermyer when he inked with the Aggies on National Signing Day:
Jalen Wydermyer somehow flew under the ratings radar despite holding offers from the likes of A&M, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Miami, LSU and Texas among many others. Standing 6-5 and checking in at 245 pounds, Wydermyer snags anything thrown in his vicinity, has supreme body control and a next-level catch radius.
When the Aggies lost the other true freshman tight end, Baylor Cupp, for the season, the pressure was put on Wydermyer to perform from day one despite not stepping onto campus until the summer.
His quarterback, Kellen Mond, has seen the progress the first-year tight end has made, especially in his grasp of the offense since arriving.
"He's done a really good job, and you can definitely see his growth. For a guy to come in, not even early-enroll and pick up the offense as fast as he does... to see him have these results it doesn't surprise me."
The Aggies will look to continue to utilize Wydermyer in the passing game this Saturday as they head on the road to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford. Maybe Wydermyer will continue to take the next step in the offense and become a third-down security blanket for the Maroon & White in hostile territory.
Wydermyer's stats against Alabama:
- Catches: 3
- Receiving yards: 49 yards
- Touchdowns: 2
Wydermyer's season stats:
- Catches: 9
- Receiving yards: 105 yards
- Yards per catch: 11.7 yards
- Touchdowns: 4
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