Tight End

Most tight ends want to be wide receivers, not tackles. They prefer to move into open space, not the mayhem in the middle of the line. Matt Porter has another perspective. The Haddonfield senior has a special place in his heart for the offensive line, and the largely anonymous guys who play there. "It's a brotherhood in there," Porter said. "We work together. We depend on each other. I love it in there. " The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Porter is a two-way lineman for Haddonfield (10-1)

Tyler Kroft, a tight end who will be a senior this fall at Downingtown East, said Friday that he has made a commitment to Rutgers. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Kroft, an Inquirer first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania choice last season, made his decision Friday after an unofficial visit to the campus Thursday. "There were many reasons I chose Rutgers, including the atmosphere, the people there. I got along with the coaches and met the players and felt I would fit in," Kroft said.

University of Wisconsin tight end John Sigmund is no different than most college athletes. He craves the spotlight, dreams of the day he will be in it and works extremely hard to ensure it will come. It's the patience the 20-year-old Washington Township resident exudes in his progress that stands out, even more so than his 6-foot-6, 270-pound frame. Sigmund was a highly touted, pass-rushing defensive lineman/split end when he played football for Camden Catholic. A host of Division I schools showed interest in the then-215 pounder.

Archbishop Kennedy added another weapon to its already potent offense during a 27-7 nonleague victory over host Wissahickon on Friday night. The Saints, averaging more than 20 points per game for the season and just under 30 in their last three games, unleashed tight end Sam Lawler for the first time. He responded by catching 2 long touchdown passes to spark the Saints to their fourth straight victory. "Everyone knows we're primarily a running team," said Kennedy coach Chris Bockrath, whose team is 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the Bicentennial League.

Ken Hull, a former standout quarterback who threw for more than 3,600 career yards at Strath Haven High, is attempting a comeback as a tight end in his senior year at Duke University. The 6-foot, 6-inch, 220-pound Hull played quarterback during his first two years of college. In 1988, he saw limited action in five games, completing 5 of 12 passes for 44 yards. Although his playing time was minimal, Hull - a history major at Duke - was named to the 1988 Atlantic Coast Conference All- Academic football team.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone has signed a grant-in-aid form to complete his transfer to Kansas, where he will be reunited with former coach Charlie Weis. Ragone, who was a star at Camden Catholic and a top recruit, has completed his undergraduate degree and will be eligible to play for the Jayhawks immediately. He joins quarterback Dayne Crist and linebacker Anthony McDonald as former Irish players who will finish their college careers in Lawrence. Weis recruited all three players to Notre Dame while he was the head coach in South Bend.

Last year's tight end crop was one of the strongest in a long time. Three tight ends - Irv Smith, Tony McGee and Troy Drayton - went in the first 39 picks. That won't be happening this year. "It's probably one of the weakest crops in many, many years," said Eagles coach Rich Kotite. "There just aren't many prospects. It's an area that's extremely thin. " That's an understatement. Most NFL clubs have just one tight end rated among their top 125 prospects. That one tight end is Lonnie Johnson, of Florida State, and no one is exactly lusting after him, either.

OCEAN CITY, N.J. - Evan Rodriguez openly admits that he wasn't anywhere near the tight end he should have been. He used words such as lazy and immature to describe his first three years at Temple. "It was just basically partying and living the college life," the 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior said. "Once I got older, I matured and started to settle down and realized what's important. I put my priorities straight, and now I'm coming along. " As a result, the North Bergen, N.J., resident is one of 34 players named to the John Mackey Award watch list.

BALTIMORE - John Mackey, the rugged Hall of Fame tight end and union president who later fought for stronger health benefits for retired players and struggled with dementia, has died at age 69. Mr. Mackey's wife notified the team about her husband's death, Baltimore Ravens spokesman Chad Steele said Thursday. No official cause was given. Mr. Mackey played for the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to '71. He helped the team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1971 Super Bowl by catching a pass from Johnny Unitas after it deflected off two other players for a 75-yard touchdown.

Pennsauken rings up style points along with traditional ones on the scoreboard. Take Saturday's 52-23 victory over Triton in the semifinals of the South Jersey Group 4 football tournament. In addition to setting a season high for points, the Indians entertained another big crowd at Vince McAneney Stadium with another thrill show by Manny Cortez, Amar Williams, and Anthony Sweet. Still, the top seed in South Jersey's largest group and the No. 4 team in The Inquirer Top 10 has substance as well as sizzle, and grit as well as glitter.

Dwayne Savage, who played football at Rancocas Valley and Montclair State, has been named coach at Camden High School. Savage replaces Durwin Pearson, who coached Camden for the previous three seasons. Pearson is now an assistant coach at Camden Catholic. Savage, who teaches physical education in middle school in Pennsauken, is a former assistant coach at Rancocas Valley, Woodrow Wilson, and Pennsauken. He is a 1989 Rancocas Valley graduate who was an All-New Jersey Athletic Conference defensive back at Montclair State.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone has signed a grant-in-aid form to complete his transfer to Kansas, where he will be reunited with former coach Charlie Weis. Ragone, who was a star at Camden Catholic and a top recruit, has completed his undergraduate degree and will be eligible to play for the Jayhawks immediately. He joins quarterback Dayne Crist and linebacker Anthony McDonald as former Irish players who will finish their college careers in Lawrence. Weis recruited all three players to Notre Dame while he was the head coach in South Bend.

NFL NETWORK analyst Mike Mayock, a Newtown Square resident, will break down each position in advance of the draft for Daily News readers. Here is Part 4 with his take on the tight ends: BEST COBY FLEENER Stanford 6-6, 247 Hand: 10 Arm: 33 3/8 40-yard dash: 4.56 225-bench: 27 Projected Rd.: 2 Mayock: "He's got very good hands and can get vertical. In Stanford's offense, they demand physicality. This kid is not a trained killer.

THE SEEDS FOR revolutionizing the tight end position probably were planted in the 1980s and '90s, when guys like Kellen Winslow and Shannon Sharpe were demonstrating to stodgy traditionalists that big, fast, sure-handed guys could be primary targets in the passing game and not just additional blockers who occasionally had footballs tossed their way. But change can be slow to take root at the highest levels of a sport that tends to cling to...

Penn State's recruiting class of 2013 continues to grow. Offensive lineman Brendan Mahon gave his verbal commitment to coach Bill O'Brien on Saturday, becoming the fifth player in the class. All are ranked as four-star players by Rivals.com. Mahon, 6-5, 302, from Randolph, N.J., is considered a four-star prospect and is ranked as the 190th player overall by Rivals. "Penn State was always a school I was real interested in," Mahon told Rivals.com, "and after spending some time with [Penn State sophomore lineman]

Temple announced the hiring of Frank Leonard as its tight ends coach. He replaces Matt Rhule, the Owls' tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator who left for a position with the New York Giants. Leonard was a college assistant coach for 24 years and most recently spent the past three seasons at the tight ends coach for the St. Louis Rams. He also spent three seasons (2004-06) as a special assignment scout for the New England Patriots. Leonard was a teammate of Temple coach Steve Adazzio at Central Connecticut State and they started their coaching careers together at Western Conneticut.

NEW PENN STATE coach Bill O'Brien's success with tight ends with the New England Patriots has obviously not gone unnoticed by Adam Breneman. A junior at Cedar Cliff High near Harrisburg, Breneman is considered the top tight end in the country in the Class of 2013. He is scheduled to make his college choice public during a news conference tonight at the school, and most expect he will choose Penn State. He is also considering Ohio State, Notre Dame and Maryland. "I am extremely excited/nervous for tomorrow," he tweeted yesterday.

INDIANAPOLIS - All around the league, head coaches and offensive coordinators are looking at the Patriots' prolific two-tight end offense, rubbing their chin whiskers and saying, "Hmmm. " As in, "Hmmm, maybe we should give that a try. " The NFL is a copycat league. Original thinking went on hiatus somewhere around the disco era. When one team stumbles upon a successful idea, 10 others soon are trying it on for size. When Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are combining for 169 receptions, 2,237 yards and 24 touchdowns and helping the Patriots get to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the last 11 years, 10 other teams are telling their scouts to go find the next Gronkowski and Hernandez.

It wouldn't be quite right to say that Brian Keller changed his mind after sleeping on his decision. He hardly closed his eyes on Monday night. "I could tell you every paint chip on my ceiling," said Keller, a senior at Triton. Keller had committed Monday afternoon to Lehigh on a football scholarship. By Tuesday morning, he had changed his mind and committed to Lafayette. "They are both great schools, great football programs with great coaches," Keller said. "It [going to Lehigh]

It wouldn't be quite right to say that Brian Keller changed his mind after sleeping on his decision. He hardly closed his eyes on Monday night. "I could tell you every paint chip on my ceiling," said Keller, a senior at Triton. Keller had committed Monday afternoon to Lehigh on a football scholarship. By Tuesday morning, he had changed his mind and committed to Lafayette. "They are both great schools, great football programs with great coaches," Keller said. "It [going to Lehigh]