49ers' Kittle Hosts 5th Annual Tight End University
49ers' Kittle Hosts 5th Annual Tight End University originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Monday kicked off the fifth annual Tight End University (TEU) event, originally founded by Hall-of-Fame worthy tight ends George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, and retired star Greg Olsen.
Advertisement
The program is a three-day "camp" environment for tight ends across the league to come together by "participating in a variety of activities including film study, on-field drills, recovery, rehabilitation." The men also walkaway from the event in great spirits after bonding with their compadres in the NFL community.
The TEU social media page announced this year's class of attendees in a yearbook-style post. A total of 74 athletes accepted an invitation to participate.
The gathering takes place in Nashville on the campus of Vanderbilt University. It brings together the game's best at the position, including the Las Vegas Raiders' Brock Bowers, Minnesota Vikings' T.J. Hockenson, Arizona Cardinals' Trey McBride and Baltimore Ravens' Isaiah Likely.
Advertisement
Kittle recently spoke on The Dan Patrick Show about the origins of the event.
"It started off where we were kinda only doing active players," Kittle said. "The last two years we've opened all active, practice squad, guys who've been in the league but might not be on a team yet."
The term "university" isn't just for show, either. Kittle detailed how there are actual school-like responsibilities along with the on-field work.
What's the secret to that work?
"Syllabus wise, what we do is, we do a classroom session ... and I've talked about run-blocking, pass protection, [yards after catch]. Those are the things I've focused on in the past years," Kittle clarified.
Advertisement
He explained how Kelce, Olsen, and others have their own teaching opportunities to pour out knowledge and explain their expertise to the young attendees.
"Really it's just, we try to cover all the things a tight end does because we're the only position that really gets to do everything," Kittle said. "We kinda try to cover as much as we possibly can in the limited time we have with these guys, and just try to give them that extra step forward in their careers."
How much does George Kittle care about Tight End University?
The Iowa alum claims TEU as his own.
Over the past few years, Kittle has included TEU in his Sunday Night Football introductions. We might hear it again in the Niners' two SNF games in Week 7 and Week 17.
Related: 49ers' George Kittle on Robert Saleh Return: 'Violence is Coming'
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees End Anthony Volpe Era in Risky Paul Skenes Trade Idea
Yankees End Anthony Volpe Era in Risky Paul Skenes Trade Idea originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Baseball fans entered the summer of Paul Skenes trade ideas long before last Friday's solstice. Unfortunately for those wanting to see Skenes escape Pittsburgh, the Pirates have been insistent they won't trade their superstar ace. Never mind that Skenes leads the majors in ERA (1.85) and pitching bWAR (4.3) through 16 starts on a Pirates team facing their seventh straight losing season. Advertisement Everyone has a Skenes trade pitch, and here's another for discussion. What if the New York Yankees called the Pirates inquiring about Skenes in exchange for several players, including shortstop Anthony Volpe? The thought of Pittsburgh being intrigued by Volpe doesn't sound so farfetched. While Yankees fans have lost their patience with the inconsistent Volpe, he's nonetheless a 24-year-old shortstop on pace for a third consecutive 3-bWAR season. Volpe has already hit nine homers and 20 doubles for the AL East-leading Yankees, although his defense and lack of clutch hitting remain concerning. He's a speedy shortstop with pop in his bat—and, most importantly, he's under team control through 2029. New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul SkenesWendell Cruz-Imagn Images; Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Skenes makes perfect sense for a Yankees team needing another impactful starting pitcher. There wouldn't be many better options than Skenes if the league held a fantasy draft. Just imagine him being available via trade. Advertisement The Yankees would likely need to give up at least two top-10 prospects; for the sake of conversation, we'll use outfielder Spencer Jones and starting pitcher Bryce Cunningham. Another starting pitching prospect, Chase Hampton, has a high ceiling but underwent Tommy John surgery in February. Luckily for Pirates fans, this theoretical trade isn't one we expect to see happen. The Pirates appear committed to keeping Skenes around indefinitely, even if a title contender comes calling, willing to deplete their entire farm system. However, as the Rafael Devers trade proved, teams are sometimes willing to change plans. Maybe a package centered around Volpe and Jones would be enough to sway the Pirates into making Skenes a Yankee ... but probably not. Related: Yankees Urged to Make Dangerous Change After Reds Loss Related: Yankees Legend Takes Veiled Swipe at Aaron Judge in Backhanded Compliment This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees Facing Unprecedented Coaching Decision After Latest Loss
Yankees Facing Unprecedented Coaching Decision After Latest Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports. You've almost certainly heard that cliché about three things being true, two of which are death and taxes. Advertisement Besides high payrolls and early playoff exits, there's another truth about the New York Yankees: they don't make midseason coaching changes, at least not in the Brian Cashman era. In fact, the Yankees never changed their coaching staff during the season from 1998 through 2022. Then came 2023, when the Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson amid a disappointing 82-80 campaign. If the Yankees' recent offensive skid continues, the club may need to make a similar decision regarding hitting coach James Rowson. New York Yankees hitting coach James RowsonJohn Meore/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK In fairness to Rowson, he doesn't deserve the full blame for the Yankees' 10-11 June. However, the Yankees' June .719 OPS is considerably down from May's .792, and their .319 on-base percentage is disappointing, especially given the marquee names in their lineup. Advertisement Those poor stretches are usually what cost assistant coaches their jobs, though. Think about how many NFL teams dismiss a coordinator amid a four or five-game slump. MLB clubs often shake up their coaching staff, even if it's only replacing a base coach. Sometimes, those changes work. Other times, it means nothing. The Yankees need to decide if such a move would get the club back on track. It's telling that Joe Torre and Joe Girardi never replaced a coach during the season, and Boone waited until his sixth year to do so. However, both managers had championships under their belt. Boone only has a single pennant in eight seasons, and the Yankees' AL East lead is down to one game. Who knows if it'd even be his decision to revamp his staff? Advertisement Related: Yankees End Anthony Volpe Era in Risky Paul Skenes Trade Idea Related: Yankees Legend Takes Veiled Swipe at Aaron Judge in Backhanded Compliment This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
MLB Insider Bill Shakin Unveils Dodgers Trade Deadline Plans
MLB Insider Bill Shakin Unveils Dodgers Trade Deadline Plans originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the arsenal to become the most active at the trade deadline. With Michael Conforto struggling in the outfield, Los Angeles could have their eyes on adding another outfielder. The plethora of injuries to their starting rotation may make the Dodgers lean towards going all-in on the top arms on the market. Even upgrading to third base or second base is an option for the team. Advertisement As the team deliberates which approach to take, their deadline plans are becoming clearer by the day, according to Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times. When I talked to [Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman] about this last week, I think the first thing a lot of fans think of is left field because the Dodgers are above average in every position offensively except left field,' Shakin said on the latest episode of Dodgers Territory. 'At least my sense from Andrew Friedman is they're not really interested in making a move in left field.' Shakin continued by pointing towards the pitching staff as an area the Dodgers are honing in on improving. Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman speaks in a press conference before game one against the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images 'When Andrew said in the offseason, we want to get enough pitching depth so we don't have to go out in the market in July, they don't know about that … I would think [the] pitching area for sure is where they're focused.' Advertisement Although the Dodgers are expecting Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell back before the trade deadline, the pitching rotation currently ranks 23rd in the league, according to FanGraphs. Adding further stability to the rotation or even acquiring another late-inning reliever to pair with closer Tanner Scott are both viable options for Los Angeles at the deadline. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, the Dodgers are suitors for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, Kansas City Royals veteran Seth Lugo, and Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, along with six other pitchers potentially available this summer. Related: Dodgers' Trade Idea Adds Rays' 2.15 ERA Reliever This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
