Powell Adds Depth to Competitive Tight Ends Room

Tight end Tyler Powell has bided his time in a stacked tight end room and one of the best recruiting classes Arizona has ever seen.

Three years and a lot of patience is what was required for Powell to hone his skills and grow into the lengthy armed receiver/blocker that he is today.

Biding his time and waiting for the opportunity to showcase his skills on the field was something that Powell felt "put a chip on my shoulder."

Powell was not a football player growing up; his father, Jeremy Powell, played baseball and was drafted by the Montreal Expos out of high school. From there, he played eight years in Japan and finished his career in the US before going into coaching.

Jeremy Powell spent time with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, Yomiuri Giants and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks while playing overseas.

"I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to be able to travel," Tyler Powell said. "I've gotten to see many different places. Being in Japan was awesome for me. It was really cool."

Playing baseball is what Powell wanted to do until he was introduced to the gridiron as a freshman while at Brophy College Prep High School and "I really just fell in love with it."

Since then, Powell has played multiple positions on the offense. He started out as a quarterback, then was moved to wide receiver and eventually to tight end when Brophy switched to a 12 personnel offense.

"I put my hand in the ground and just fell in love with it," Powell said. "I was like, 'Yeah, this is where I want to be.'"

Powell committed to Arizona in 2022, a recruiting class that was loaded with talented players such as Tetairoa McMillan, Jonah Savaiinaea, and others who turned the program around from a 1-11 record to 10-3 with an Alma Bowl victory in 2023.

Powell thought that the recruiting class was "electric, I feel like there were a lot of playmakers in that class," He said. "They did a really good job recruiting and I just feel really honored to be a part of that."

The 6-foot-7, 244-pound tight end didn't get much play time his first year and sat behind Southern Utah transfer Tanner McLachlan and Keyen Burnett, who is now back with the team after a brief stint with Kansas in the Spring.