Bogan Brings 'Different' To Huskies Tight End Room
Derham Cato has a specific goal in mind for every recruiting class.
More important than just signing the best – or based on perception, ‘highest-ranked’ – prospects, he wants to make sure each will bring something different to the tight end room at Washington.
One glance at Chance Bogan is all that is needed to understand what that looks like.
Bogan, listed at 6-foot-4 and 212-pounds, became the second verbal commitment for the Huskies in the 2022 class on Monday. The son of former UW linebacker Curtis Bogan is more than just a byproduct of strong genetics, and his game on the field is a reflection of that.
When his father played, tight ends were viewed as players built similar to offensive tackles with hands not as bad as a defensive back, but still not as good as a wide receiver, either. In this case Bogan has the hands of a wide receiver with the build of a tight end, able to play inside and out.
“We list Bogan as a tight end but he’s really a flexed out wide receiver with tremendous length and great hands, who is a mismatch problem for most cornerbacks. He is excellent in the red zone. The quarterback just throws it up to him and Bogan uses his length to grab it out of the air. Over the new few years, Bogan will add weight to his frame and could be more in-line. But he will always be able to flex out and play in space.” – Adam Gorney, Rivals’ National Recruiting Analyst.
Last season Bogan recorded over 1,000 total yards as a sophomore, making an impact as both a tight end/wide receiver and in the kick and punt return game for Lincoln.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic Washington high school football has been postponed until spring 2021, but Bogan has remained in as close to game shape as possible.
He participated with his Lincoln teammates in a local 7-on-7 tournament last weekend and showed increased explosiveness, something Bogan has been working on during the offseason at Ford Sports Performance.
With Bogan secured it fills one of two spots at the tight end position for the 2022 class. Given his skillset the second is expected to be more of a traditional, in-line tight end, to maintain balance in the room.
It could very well be that Cato will not have to leave the Evergreen State to find said second tight end.
Ryan Otton, the younger brother of current UW junior tight end Cade Otton, is the top target on the board and has gained new offers from Oregon and UCLA over the past two weeks.