Meet LSU’s Latest Additions: Tight Ends

Wherever Brian Kelly has been the head coach, one thing has been known and that is he will always have a great tight end around. Throughout his Hall of Fame coaching career, Kelly has always gotten the most of his tight ends whether it has been Travis Kelce at Cincinnati or making Notre Dame TE U with players like Kyle Rudolph, Tyler Eifert, Troy Niklas, Ben Koyack, Durham Smythe, Cole Kmet, Alize Mack, and most recently, Michael Mayer. Kelly is certainly trying to bring that to LSU.

Last season, it was a freshman tight end for LSU that opened up some eyes in Mason Taylor, who had an All-SEC freshman caliber year with 38 catches for 414 yards and three touchdowns including the game winning two point conversion against Alabama. Both Kelly and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock are trying to add more talent and depth to the position by signing three more freshmen from this year’s signing class.

The first tight end that I will talk about is the first tight end to commit in this class and that is Mac Markway. As a big bodied 6’4, 243 pounds, Markway is perhaps already the best run blocker in the tight end room. He excels in the running game and a lot of times dominates in that facet of the game. Not only is he a great blocker, but he is also a very capable receiver as well. Rated as one of the top players in the state of Missouri, Markway can play his way in playing a lot, especially as an extra blocker in his first year on campus.

The only question mark for the four star tight end from DeSmet High School in St. Louis, Missouri is if he can stay healthy as he missed his entire senior season recovering from an injury he suffered his junior season. If he can do that, then, he could have a big role in the offense early on.

As soon as Markway received an offer from LSU, he committed and signed, but for the other two tight ends, the recruiting staff had to work extra hard in signing as the next two tight ends flipped their decisions right before inking their letter of intent.

The first tight end to do that was Jackson McGohan. A one-time Cincinnati commit, McGohan flipped his decision to play at LSU after establishing a relationship with offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.

With a 6’3, 231 pound frame, McGohan was rated as a three-star prospect from Miamisburg High School in Miamisburg, Ohio. He has proved to be a reliable receiver after having 99 catches for 1,640 yards and 21 touchdowns in a two year period. What sets him apart is his ability to win tightly contested 50-50 battles for the football. He and another late flip could prove to be a great receiving trio joining Mason Taylor.

The final tight end to sign with the Tigers in 2023 was Ka’Morreun Pimpton. At 6’6, 227 pounds, the four star prospect from North Crowley High School in Fort Worth, Texas has a long frame of a big receiver and was used often for the Panthers as a jump ball receiver. This past season, Pimpton was a touchdown scoring machine as anytime the offense got close to the red zone, he was the go to guy with 49 catches for 951 yards and 16 touchdowns. Over 32% of his catches his senior season resulted in touchdowns. He also was a track and field star in his high school career by excelling in throwing the discus and shot put.

Pimpton does need to add weight to his frame in order to be a complete tight end, but for now, he can be paired as another big offensive weapon at tight end. Pimpton came in as a surprise for LSU’s 2023 class as he was the last player at his position to sign with the Tigers after flipping his decision from Vanderbilt to LSU.

At one point, Mason Taylor was the only scholarship tight end, but adding these three talented tight ends to the roster could make this a nice quartet at a position in which both Kelly and Denbrock want to build around.

To read more about the future Tigers, check out the rest of our “Meet LSU’s Latest Additions” articles below. Next up, I will talk about the newest offensive linemen to join the Tigers.