Ohio State tight end Cade Stover earns semifinalist nod for Mackey Award
COLUMBUS — Ohio State tight end Cade Stover didn’t play last week at Rutgers, and he wasn’t targeted once the previous week at Wisconsin, but he’s been one of the most valuable pieces of the Buckeyes’ offense this season.
And Wednesday he was recognized as such, being named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the best tight end in college football. He was also a semifinalist for the honor last year.
Here are the nine semifinalists:
- AJ Barner, Michigan
- Brock Bowers, Georgia
- Dallin Holker, Colorado State
- Theo Johnson, Penn State
- Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina
- Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
- Ben Sinnott, Kansas State
- Cade Stover, Ohio State
- Jack Velling, Oregon State
Stover is Ohio State’s second-leading receiver with 27 receptions and 429 receiving yards this season. He’s already surpassed his receiving total (406) from 2022. The Mansfield, Ohio, native has also added three touchdowns in 2023.
Stover, a senior and two-time captain, has posted a reception percentage of 81.8% this season, the highest of any Buckeyes player with five or more targets this season, according to Pro Football Focus. In other words, Stover has caught 27 of his 33 targets.
The Wisconsin game marked the first time against FBS competition this season that Stover hadn’t logged multiple catches and at least 50 receiving yards. He’s proved to be a reliable target for first-year starting quarterback Kyle McCord.
Not only that, but Stover — who shed close to 10 pounds and ran with the skill players this offseason — has transformed into one of the premier pass-catching tight ends in the sport, hence why he was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list earlier this season.
“I am super proud of how he’s prepared,” first-year Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey said of Stover in October. “I go back to the offseason and the spring ball and summer and all the work he put in. I’m happy that it’s showing up on Saturdays — that you get to see the dedication that he put in into his craft.
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“So the stats will take care of themselves. But we’re going to keep working and see where we’re at at the end of the year.”
Stover, of course, is an important part of the Buckeyes’ blocking department, too. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day never forgets to leave that out when discussing his veteran tight end.
“He’s a great captain, and he’s a weapon for us,” Day said earlier this season, “both in the run game and in the pass game.”
The timeline for Stover’s return to action is unclear. Day noted that Stover was technically available to play last weekend at Rutgers, but the Buckeyes’ staff decided to hold him out just in case.
In other words, Stover could have played if he had to — Ohio State will certainly need him down the stretch.
