BYU looking for new tight ends

How will BYU replace their bookend tight ends?

Again.

Dennis Pitta is all-time and Andrew George played his way into Cougar lore with the overtime catch against Utah. The last time BYU found itself in this situation, Jonny Harline was the marquee guy and Daniel Coats was his sidekick. Coats still plays in the NFL.

Not since 1996 when Chad Lewis and Itula Mili have the Cougars produced as notable (statistically) a duo as Pitta and George. These guys combined for 291 catches for 3710 yards and 32 touchdowns. Lewis and Mili combined for 236 catches for 3139 yards and 21 TDs.

This position is crucial to how BYU's offense executes. Almost always facing quicker defenses, the size of BYU tight ends and how productive they are potentially nullifies how defenders strategize against BYU's receivers and backs with linebackers and safeties.

Both Lewis and Mili, who played with Steve Sarkisian, had long NFL careers.

Ty Detmer had former NCAA record holder Chris Smith (2367 yards). Just this month, Gordon Hudson, who had 22 career touchdowns for BYU after starring with Steve Young, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

You go down the list, from Tod Thompson, David Miles, Clay Brown, Spencer Nead to Doug Jolley, you can brand BYU's success with that position.

If I had to pick an early front-runner to nail down one spot, it would be Mike Muehlmann from American Fork. He's 6-foot-4, 227 pounds and comes from a great athletic background which includes track and playing defense end. He has good hands, decent speed and got acclimated to Division I ball as a freshman in 2009.

Muehlmann will get plenty of push from Richard Wilson, whom BYU toyed with at linebacker his year, is 6-3, 220 and a playmaker who claims offers from SEC and Pac-10 schools. He runs an impressive 4.69 and was not recruited to play defense.

While neither Wilson or Muehlmann have the size of Pitta or George, Braden Brown, from Highland High does. But the 6-6, 250 freshman, who already served an LDS mission, started every game last year as an offensive guard and coach Mark Weber says he isn't giving Brown, who can play tackle or guard, back to Robert Anae for tight end duty.

One guy who does have that size is former Bingham prep All-American Austin Holt, who is 6-6, 230. But Holt won't return from missionary service until June, missing out on spring practice and a lot of conditioning.