During our final day of preseason viewing, half the time was spent watching the Florida Atlantic Tight Ends room.
A position on the roster that does not have a single player from a previous Owls team. All six members are new to the Owls family, including tight ends coach Jajuan Dulaney.
The Tight Ends
Jajuan Dulaney is the Florida Atlantic Tight Ends Coach. After coaching for the same position last year at UTEP, Dulaney was called on to lead the Owls TE room.
During his college days, Dulaney played at Maryland before transferring to Texas Tech. The former Terrapin mentioned his excitement in facing his old team on Wednesday, “It’s definitely an honor to go back and play against the alma mater. Mike Locksley was somebody that recruited me. I got an opportunity to play for him. So it’s gonna feel good walking back into the stadium, getting back there. I haven’t been back there since I graduated, but ultimately, at the end of the day, it’s all about us. You know, we’re trying to try to win a game, and we gotta keep it as such.”
Tight Ends Coach Jajuan Dulaney is pretty familiar with the Zach Kittley type of offense. In 2017, Dulaney played as an offensive linemen at Texas Tech under HC Cliff Kingsbury. One of the minds in that offensive room was then assistant quarterbacks coach, Kittley.
Dulaney highlighted the aspects of playing tight end in a Kittley offense and shared, “You’ve got to be able to do every single thing that the receiver is doing. You’ve got to be able to get in there and block with the offensive line and maintain that communication with those guys. So I think that when it comes to those types of things, everybody as a whole has to be able to do it anyway. I think you kind of look into your specific roles that you have. You kind of place roles on certain guys, like maybe a younger guy that you’re trying to get some game experience, that type of stuff. Kind of put them in specific roles so that they can start getting comfortable playing out there. But as a whole, you know, everybody’s got to be able to do it anyway.”
The position will become a vital part of the 2025 Owls as during Kittley’s time as an OC at Texas Tech, it led to RB Tahj Brooks rushing the ball for over 3,000 yards in two seasons, but also averaging 300 YPG in passing. For the tight ends they must be able to block and catch, or this offense could fail.
The Freshmen
Brock Kuhl, 6’4, 230 lbs
Coming in from Lorena, Texas, Kuhl seems to fit the versatile role that a 21st century tight end has to have as the freshman joins the Owls after spending high school playing three sports (football, basketball, and track & field).
Named Second Team all-state in the talent-rich state of Texas, Kuhl could be expected to be a major piece for Florida Atlantic in coming years. But for now, he will most likely use a redshirt for eligibility and growth heading into next season.
Billy Lyons, 6’4, 240 lbs
From the midwest state of Ohio, Lyons is another versatile athlete as he spent time playing football and basketball in high school at Wyoming High. During his high school career, Lyons started at quarterback and then started at tight end his senior season.
Averaging 17.4 yards per catch, it’s clear to see why Lyons is considered a threat once he is developed. The expectation for Lyons is to be another Owl that will spend time developing.
Tamez “Mez” Young, 6’4, 218 lbs
Out of Tampa, Young had a lot of eyes on him during his recruitment as six P4 schools offered the standout from the Gulf Coast. With his lighter frame Young is one showed he could move around quicker and more agile than those in the room, but like the freshman on the roster a hopeful year of development should work best for Young.
During his availability on Wednesday, Coach Dulaney spoke on the trio of freshmen saying, “The three freshmen to mass, Young, Brock Kuhl and Billy Lyons that have all been coming in and trying to work at it. Get better every single day. And their biggest thing is just buying into the culture.”
For the class overall, seeing them have playing time would not be shocking. With only six total tight ends on the roster, depth must come from the young trio. Expect an appearance, but if the older players’ health is okay, then it will be limited for the freshmen.
The Transfers
In our final Preseason Player interview segments, TE @reidmikeska is happy to FINALLY get to hit someone other than his teammates, and @MikeKirch19 thinks @ZKittley is "almost crazy" with his play calling. #FAU 🦉🎙️🦉 pic.twitter.com/uqUN6iPE2v
— FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) August 22, 2025
Reid Mikeska – Redshirt Sophomore, 6’5, 250 lbs
One of two tight ends we spoke to on Wednesday, Mikeska joins the Owls after spending time with South Carolina’s scout team last season. During his time with the Gamecocks, Mikeska suffered with injuries, but looks to be lined up for a healthy start to the 2025 season.
Joining Florida Atlantic in January, Mikeska has spent the past seven months getting used to the “air-raid” offense, “I wouldn’t say [it’s been an] evolution, but more so just kind of adapting to the type of offense you run. It’s a pretty unique offense, and just getting on page with the O-line like we do, it’s definitely new to me, but it’s been good. We have a great O-line, so they help us out a lot.”
Mikeska has waited for “his chance” at the collegiate level, but now looks to be in line for a starting role come next Saturday. His speed is impressive, and he should be a threat over the middle of the field on passing plays.
Michael Kirch – Senior, 6’5, 245 lbs
The Division Two transfer from Thomas More has shown up on the radar for many throughout Fall camp and game week prep. While at Thomas More, Kirch played in 27 games, had 85 receptions, and totalled 799 yards to go along with his 11 touchdowns.
Kirch (main picture, Rick Henderson) shared why he decided to transfer to FAU, “It got to the point where I wanted to see how good I really could be. And go against the best in the world, because at this level, this is the best we’re playing against. To start week one against a power four, big 10 team, it’s a token to me. Like, just to be able to say in 20 years, look back and be like, ‘Yeah, I was able to play with some of the best there is.”
Any concerns about Kirch’s jump from D2 to D1 should not be a concern. Kirch shared he has felt that after his first couple of weeks during the Summer he was able to adapt to the speed at this level. Now only time will tell as he looks to be in line for the second tight end role heading into week one.
Martavious Collins – Sophomore, 6’4, 258 lbs
Alongside Coach Dulaney, Collins came in following his freshman year at UTEP. Collins played a role as a blocker during his eight games played with the Miners.
Coach Dulaney spoke about the transfer sharing, “It was good to see him come and get adjusted to everything. You know, he’s still learning. He’s still young. That’s the thing. Sometimes us as coaches, you know, we kind of forget certain things sometimes. He’s still a young sophomore. I’m excited about his future. And you know what he can bring to the table moving forward.”
Collins looks to be in line as the third tight end on the roster, and looks to be a valuable short yardage piece for the Owls. Short yardage, he seems to be the guy.
Overall Room Outlook
This tight end room looks to pair nicely with the Kittley led offense. Two guys in Kirch and Mikeska that can be a great blocker, or receiver, while the size of Collins will definitely be a factor in the run game.
The group should be notable out of the gate and will definitely play a key role in FAU wins this season.
