Massachusetts Football Camp Countdown - Tight Ends - University of Massachusetts Athletics

Moving on to part three of our Camp Countdown conversations, Jay Burnham stat down with tight ends coach Jeff Moore to talk about the five guys in his position group. He sees five individuals who all have the ability to make a contribution for the Minutemen this fall and views the role of the right end as the glue to UMass' offense. All five players bring different elements to the pass game and have the potential to contribute every single week on either special teams or offense.

"For us it's to be able to do whatever's at need every single play and being able to be the continuity of the offense," said Moore. "From every single player on the team, the positivity and enthusiasm has been second to none. These kids want to win."

Josiah Johnson – Jacksonville, Fla. – Bolles School – 6-5 – 235
A 2021 Phil Steele Preseason All-Independent Second Team honoree, Johnson has seen time at quarterback as well as tight end since seeing his first action at UMass in 2018. He has five career touchdown catches, three of which came in 2021 on 11 receptions for 115 yards.

Jeff Moore on Johnson – "He's doing a tremendous job, is extremely long, very athletic, has no issue whatsoever being physical, very explosive. I think the sky is the limit for him. He's got such a high ceiling and football really matters to him."

Jaret Pallotta – Massillon, Ohio – Jackson – 6-5 – 250
Pallotta, a veteran presence who is in his second year of graduate school, transitioned from quarterback to tight end prior to the 2020 campaign and appeared in all four games that fall. Last season he made six catches for 48 yards.

Jeff Moore on Pallotta – "Jaret's done a great job when he transitioned from quarterback to tight end, put on a ton of weight to get to where he needs to be. He's such an intelligent kid, has his undergrad in finance and is in the MBA program right now. His ability to understand our offense is second to none. He has the ability to see big picture, which is really important too. He's just one of the guys who does anything we ask him to do."

Jacob Orlando – Buffalo, N.Y. – Williamsville North – 6-6 – 245
According to Moore, Orlando developed an incredible amount during spring ball after missing multiple years dure to injury since arriving at UMass in 2019. He saw action in 10 games last season, making three catches for 33 yards with a TD.

Jeff Moore on Orlando – "Jake is a tremendous young man. Going into his senior year of high school he tore his ACL at a camp. His first year at UMass he tore his ACL again, but he's been such an incredibly hard worker. He's got an unbelievable ceiling as well. He's worked extremely hard and he's made a very big impact in the spring and in the preseason as well. He can do basically everything. He's sort of a Swiss army knife in our offense and we're really excited to see how it plays out."

Eni Falayi – Peabody, Mass. – Williston Northampton School – 6-6 – 235
Falayi has yet to see action at UMass but with a year under his belt, has made the most of his time in the weight room developing his body.

Jeff Moore on Falayi: "Eni has had an amazing preseason so far for us. He's transformed his body I'd say incredibly in the past 12 months and that's been a really big piece too and he's very long, very athletic. I think the biggest thing for him is he's really taking in all the details in everything we do and taking it to heart and making sure he's doing everything the right way. If he keeps trending the way he is, it wouldn't be any surprise at all if he makes an impact for us during the season."

Jackson Manning – Acworth, Ga. – Mount Paran Christian School – 6-5 – 245
Manning has seen reserve action over two seasons since coming to UMass in the fall of 2020.

Jeff Moore on Manning – "He wants to be physical in the run game, which is a big piece for us and I think he's a guy that can potentially contribute in the run game but he can do both. He's done a little bit on the ball, a little bit off the ball. He's a very physical kid and he's not afraid of contact and that's really important for our philosophy on offense and what we're trying to do."

Scoreboard

Massachusetts Football Camp Countdown - Tight Ends

Players Mentioned

Eni Falayi

Josiah Johnson

Jackson Manning

Jacob Orlando

Jaret Pallotta