Expectations high for transfer TE Vokolek
Tight end is one of the few positions where Nebraska returns everyone, which means the expectations from that group are relatively high.
Not only do the Huskers return every tight end that saw time on the field last year, but they also get to add Travis Vokolek to the mix after the transfer from Rutgers had to sit out last season.
Fans that aren’t familiar with Vokolek right now will be once they get to see him on the field according to tight ends coach Sean Beckton.
“They’re going to see a big physical kid that can run,” Beckton said about what the fans will notice about Vokolek. “He’s still shaking the rust off from last year, but I expect the fans to know his name really early along with the other guys we have.”
Since Vokolek was forced to sit out last season, he could have put things on cruise control until this spring in order to get ready for the fall. However, that wasn’t the case according to head coach Scott Frost and Beckton who say Vokolek has been a hard worker and has really improved since arriving last summer.
"Guys get out of redshirt years kind of what they try to get out of what they put into them,” Frost said. “There's some guys who put it in cruise control and don't get a lot out of it and other guys who work to learn it and get better. I think Travis has improved since the day he got on campus. That's going to be a fun competition and battle at the tight end spot too. Austin [Allen] and Jack [Stoll] are a little bit limited in spring ball so Travis is going to get a lot of reps. I feel great about the shape we're in at that position with those three guys leading it."
Beckton added more detail about the improvements Vokolek has made over the last year.
“[Vokolek has] worked extremely hard clean up some of the things, some of the flaws that he had when he was at Rutgers,” Beckton said. “He’s done a tremendous job, he’s night and day from where he was when he first got here as far as his stance and being able to strike through a proper landmark and being able to drive people off the ball. And then also being able to get down the field as far as in our passing game.
“I expect him to be a complete tight end. He’s really improved as far as blocking, that was his weakness when he first got here. He’s always been a natural pass catcher. He came to us only exclusively in the right hand stance, being on the left hand side of the ball on the line of scrimmage, that doesn’t equate to being able to step at the correct landmark in our blocks and all the different blocks that we have.
“So that’s one of the things we’ve polished up with him and we’ve balanced him up a little bit more in his stance, in his three point stance on the line of scrimmage and it has put him in a position that when he does block people now he’s more dominant when he’s doing it so really excited to see where he goes.”
Vokolek’s hard work in the weight room and on the practice field has not gone unnoticed by his teammates either. Senior Jack Stoll says he’s excited to see Vokolek hit the field.
"He's an unbelievable guy. Someone you can trust on and off the field,” Stoll said about Vokolek. “Obviously, he has some game experience playing over at Rutgers. He kind of took last year as more of a redshirt season, which I think helped him tremendously where it helped him learn the offense, develop everything and he's making huge strides.
"I know he's going to go out there and help benefit this team in the fall. I'm just really excited to have him on the team. He's a great guy and I just can't wait for him to go out there and make some plays."