With position switch, this Gamecock believes he can be ‘big mismatch against defenses’
When Keveon Mullins arrived at South Carolina in the summer of 2019, the 6-foot-1 Memphis native was one of the top gets of the Gamecock recruiting class — a four-star athlete with a tight bond with wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon.
In the year-plus since, a lot has changed. Mullins has seen McClendon move to a new job, had his position coach change a few times and even moved positions himself, from receiver to tight end.
And after a freshman season in which he didn’t see the field once, Mullins is confident that his switch will pay dividends this season.
“I think I’m doing great,” Mullins said of his preseason camp. “And actually, I think my change is impacting a lot, because me moving from receiver to tight end, it sets up a lot of mismatches with defenses ... it’s actually harder for guys to cover me. I’m actually a big mismatch against defenses.”
Mullins isn’t the only one who thinks he’s having a good camp. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski has said he’s made some big plays during camp that have energized the entire offense.
“Keveon Mullins has been having a good fall camp, and he’s progressed every single day. And I think just seeing him every single day, day in, day out, from walk-throughs to the end of practice, just seeing him catch long balls, whether it be a corner route or something like that, it’s just really cool to see the whole team start jumping up and get hyped and start screaming for a guy like that,” Hilinski said.
When it came time to make the switch from wideout to tight end, Mullins said new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo approached him with the idea and he was on board right away “because I believed I could do it.”
Physically, Mullins said he hasn’t had to change too much about his body to play the new position, though his listed roster weight did jump from 220 to 245 pounds this year. Mentally, however, there’s been a learning curve as he gets used to playing attached to the line and helping out more in the run game.
“It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of things that you have to know playing tight end than you do playing receiver, with blocking and things like that,” Mullins said.
“Keveon Mullins adds a dimension to that position,” coach Will Muschamp said. “He’s a guy that can really run and has really flourished in the passing game a little bit. Obviously there’s some things we need to tie up as far as the run game is concerned.”
Still, Mullins’ sheer athleticism and experience as a pass catcher make him an asset, especially at a time when South Carolina’s wide receiving corps is looking perilously thin between injuries, opt-outs and lack of experience.
“We’re gonna need those tight ends to step up in the passing game. Tight ends, fullbacks and backs, we just don’t have a lot of depth at receiver, we don’t have a lot of experience in my opinion at that position. You know, so I’m expecting a lot out of guys like Nick Muse and Keveon Mullins and Will Register,” Bobo said.
It also helps Mullins that in Bobo’s system, tight ends have been a focal point, to the point that two-tight end sets, not a typical sight in many offenses, might be crucial this year.
“What excites me a lot about this offense, it sets up tight ends to be great,” Mullins said. “And under coach Bobo, we actually have at least two tight ends on the field, so that’s great too.”
With Muse, a senior, entrenched as the the team’s top returning tight end and likely starter, Mullins might still get significant snaps if he continues to prove himself as an offensive weapon. And Muse has been key in helping him acclimate to the new spot.
“When I first came from the receiving room, he told me, he was like, ‘You’re great, you’re too athletic not to play, so get on it,’” Mullins said. “So he actually helped me get comfortable with the tight end position.”
And earlier in preseason camp, Muse had some high praise for Mullins, comparing him to recent first-round pick and USC tight end great Hayden Hurst.
“Keveon is as fast as it gets as a tight end, so he’s going to bring a level that we haven’t had for a while, basically since Hayden Hurst, with speed,” Muse said.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 5:10 AM with the headline "With position switch, this Gamecock believes he can be ‘big mismatch against defenses’."
