2024 Season Countdown: #72 Jalen Hoffman
Name: Jalen Hoffman
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Lake Braddock (VA) Lake Braddock
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I didn’t rank Hoffman. He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A
Hoffman was a little known preferred walk-on after decommitting form Bucknell in the class of 2023. Used as a wide receiver and H-back at Lake Braddock, he caught 20 passes for 400 yards and 5 touchdowns as a senior in 2022. He runs pretty well, but he’s a little bit stiff and doesn’t really have the size and length you want in an ideal FBS tight end.
That sounds like a fullback. Though Hoffman is listed as a tight end, the coaching staff has him backing up Max Bredeson – also listed as a tight end, but at 6’2″, 240 pounds. They are effectively fullbacks, but tight end sounds sexier. And they function a lot like the H-backs in modern spread offenses. You probably won’t see Bredeson or Hoffman lined up on the line of scrimmage or running a lot of downfield routes, but they will be lead blockers and run arrow routes out of the backfield to stretch the defense laterally. I don’t expect Hoffman to play a key role in 2024, but he could see some backup snaps and potentially be a guy to watch down the road once Bredeson departs.
Prediction: Backup tight end