Cade Stover Has Emerged As One of the Best Tight Ends in College Football

Ohio State recruited Cade Stover – ranked as the No. 7 outside linebacker (No. 114 overall) in the 2019 recruiting class – to be a linebacker. He changed positions several times during his first three years as a Buckeye, and was initially expected to play on defense this year after impressing as a Sam linebacker in the Rose Bowl.

But Stover moved back to tight end during spring practice, and that move has proved to be fruitful for both him and the Buckeyes as Stover has cemented himself as one of the best tight ends in college football this season.

In an impressive performance in Ohio State's win over Penn State Saturday afternoon that included six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown, Stover once again proved that he can be a weapon in the Buckeyes’ passing attack. His touchdown catch was Rob Gronkowski-esque, which only makes sense considering Eleven Warriors gave Stover the “Farmer Gronk” nickname earlier this season.

This Cade Stover touchdown was beautiful in every way.pic.twitter.com/ib2Vu51E5V

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 29, 2022

The senior now has 24 catches for 309 yards and three touchdowns through eight games this season. With those numbers, he would already have one of the most productive seasons as a tight end for Ohio State in the last decade. While things can certainly change throughout the second half of the season, Stover would be on pace to finish with 45 receptions for 579 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games if the Buckeyes make it to the Big Ten Championship and national championship game, which would be one of the best seasons ever for an Ohio State tight end.

Stover has come a long way from last season, when he caught only five passes for 76 yards in his 12 games as a tight end before moving to linebacker for the Rose Bowl.

"I sucked ... and I mean sucked," Stover said this offseason about first making the move to tight end in 2020.

But everything started to click for Stover during the season-opening win over Notre Dame, in which he caught three passes for 14 yards and most importantly excelled as a blocker.

“After that Notre Dame game was the first time I was like, ‘That felt good,’” Stover said. “That felt like how I felt when I played defense. I feel good. I feel beat up. I feel worn out.

“When you can play on the offensive side of the ball like you can on defense, I think I’ve 100% officially taken that step.”

Stover scored his first two touchdowns as a Buckeye in Week 4 against Wisconsin, one week after notching a career-high 83 receiving yards against Toledo.

“I’m proud of what Cade is becoming for this offense,” Day said of Stover's two-touchdown game against the Badgers. “He deserves everything he's getting. He's earning it all. He's a weapon for us in the passing game. As you can see, he’s strong, and he’s powerful. But he's also getting after people in the run game and does a good job in protection. And he can do that. He can split out. He can come back into the backfield. He can line up as a tight end, he gets big in some of the bigger personnel and any time you have somebody that can do that, that's what the NFL’s looking for. That’s what we're all looking for, those versatile players that can do multiple things. And he’s shown he can do that, and he's become a weapon for us.”

Stover has proven to be reliable for the Buckeyes in both the passing and running games.

Still thinking about these Cade Stover blocks. pic.twitter.com/feuhagUzPY

— Kevin Harrish (@Kevinish) October 31, 2022

"I think Cade's doing a phenomenal job," Brian Hartline said of Stover's season so far. "Where he was last spring to where he is now, that whole tight end room, frankly, has taken a huge step. What he has brought to our offense has been so critical.

"We probably wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for Cade and how much he's grown. He's developed into a great player and I think he'd tell you that he still has a long way to go. Some big plays on Saturday and big plays all year. He has to continue to ascend if we want to get to where we want to get to."

My weekly “Cade Stover is awesome” tweet.

The TE had 2 TD catches vs. Wisconsin, but his blocking was a key part of OSU’s offensive success. Stover and LT Paris Johnson spring this run. pic.twitter.com/cUfzV4PXMn

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 26, 2022

Despite his limited experience at the position as a first-year starter, Stover is being projected as high as a first-round pick if he enters the 2023 NFL draft.

“Cade was unbelievable on Saturday,” Day said of Stover's performance in Happy Valley. “Catching, he had the touchdown. But his blocking on (TreVeyon Henderson's) touchdown was, I mean, he took two guys on the back side of that zone play. But it was his leadership on the sideline. He never wavered. He was right there. He's been like that all along.

“He deserved that moment after all the hard work that he's been through,” Day said of Stover's impressive touchdown. “He does a lot of the dirty work as tight ends do. He embraces that. But he has a lot of versatility and it's making him more and more valuable every day. He's become more and more of a weapon. I thought he was a mismatch against a linebacker in that game and C.J. found that matchup several times.”

Stover has quickly turned himself into an elite receiver, blocker and leader for the Buckeyes. A coach's dream, one would say.

"He's blocking at a high level, running routes at a high level and he can protect. So, if you can do those three things, any team in America is going to want you," Day said on Tuesday. "All the time he put in is now paying off. You're seeing the best version of Cade. ... I knew what he could be and he's a special player."