We continue our position previews today with a look at Liberty’s tight ends.
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
For the first time since following head coach Jamey Chadwell to Liberty over three years ago, tight ends coach Cody Ladutko had to have a revamp with his position group over the offseason. Due to graduation and the transfer portal, the Flames had to be aggressive at tight end and brought in three transfers and one freshman. Now, add in former quarterback Ethan Houck and there are five new players in the position group that weren’t a part of those meetings last year. This group has been banged up some during camp and throughout the summer, but the expectation is that they will all be ready to go by game week. As has been the case for the past three seasons, expect to see Liberty in a lot of two tight end sets, utilizing this group as an additional offensive lineman to aid in the run game while also having some playmaking ability in the pass game.
Tight Ends Coach Cody Ladutko – “Since being here, it was the first time I’ve had to go into the portal. We had to jump right in it, but it was awesome with Kelsey, Zeke Wimbush, and Breckan Kirby. All guys at a different part of their journey with 1-year (left), 2-year, 3-year, kind of how we wanted to space it out. They’ve all been awesome to have in the room, on the field and off the field. I think we have four guys right now who can go out there and know the offense very well.”
Frontrunners
48 Caleb Ryan 5th Year 6’2″ 240
Ryan began his career at Liberty as a walk-on, and he ended up seeing his way onto the field late in the year in 2024 due to injuries at the position. Now, he is the veteran of the group and one of the leaders of the team. He emerged in 2025 as a key tight end, playing in all 12 games with 4 receptions for 87 yards and has seen playing time in 22 games across the past two seasons. This year, he is the unquestioned leader at the position and will be counted on to make a big impact on and off the field.
Tight Ends Coach Cody Ladutko – “Caleb Ryan has done great. You can put him at almost any position, he knows it. When we do our walk-throughs, I usually put him at a receiver position because I know he knows the routes for the tight end. He will know those for the receivers. Caleb is strong. He’s extremely, extremely strong.”
87 LaKelsey Johnson, Jr. 5th Year 6’3″ 248
Johnson played over 800 snaps in his career at Baylor with 23 catches, 174 yards, and a touchdown. He is originally from Red Oak, Texas and Red Oak High School. He started 4 games as a freshman in 2022 and four more in 2023. He redshirted in 2024 after playing only four games before getting injured and missing the rest of the season. He has impressed the Flames’ coaching staff since arriving on campus and looks like he will be a key piece in Liberty’s offensive game plan.
Tight Ends Coach Cody Ladutko – “Kelsey has been doing awesome. I know you guys will see a lot of Kelsey. He’s thick and he is a load. If he gets his hands on guys, he’s moving them – linebackers, d-ends. He does really good in space.”
Competition
88 Zeke Wimbush SR 6’2″ 235
Wimbush appeared in 24 games over the past two seasons at Virginia Tech, primarily on special teams, and has two years of eligibility remaining. From Ashburn, Virginia and Stone Bridge High School, Wimbush played quarterback and tight end in high school where he had 17 receptions for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns as a senior and was a three-star recruit. He was also heavily pursued in the transfer portal by Oregon State.
Tight Ends Coach Cody Ladutko – “Zeke has been doing great. He’s very smart, kind of an older guy, still working with some technique stuff.”
17 Bo Burklow SR 6’2″ 250
Burklow graduated from Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee where he was a three-star recruit, finishing his senior year with 25 receptions for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s looking to work his way up the depth chart this camp and see his role continue to increase, having played in all 12 games last season.
Tight Ends Coach Cody Ladutko – “Bo, who’s come back, he’s been in the system, he’s gone through some injuries. He’s not fully go yet in fall camp, but he’s absolutely trending in the right direction, doing good. Bo does a great job in the box. He’s got some good girth to him. If he gets his hands on them, he will move ’em too.”
84 Breckan Kirby JR 6’4″ 220
Kirby transferred to Liberty from North Greenville after two seasons there. Last season as a redshirt freshman, in 8 games played, Kirby had 4 catches for 23 yards and a touchdown. Kirby is originally from Gainesville, Georgia where he attended North Hall High School.
Tight Ends Coach Cody Ladutko – “Breckan is getting there.”
14 Ethan Houck SO 6’4″ 205
Houck just moved over to tight end from quarterback this past week. He will have quite the ramp up in learning the position and what is expected there, though he has been in the offensive system for over a year now. He did make the move to hopefully make an impact immediately. We will have to keep an eye on him and see how quickly he can move up the depth chart.
Depth
85 Kam Taylor FR 6’6″ 249
Kam Taylor is an incoming true freshman tight end from Woodruff High School and Woodruff, South Carolina. He had offers from Charlotte, FIU, Marshall, Southern Miss, Troy, and several others, over a dozen total offers.
Tight Ends Coach Cody Ladutko – “Kam, our young freshman, he’s coming along. He’s working well.”
