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Position: TE
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 235
Hometown: Richmond, Va
High School: Collegiate School
Twitter: @JakeOvaTheWorld
He was a QB in High School (he also played Safety). He was a 2-star recruit who wasn't recruited by very many FBS schools. He also played baseball and basketball. When he got to UVA, he was almost immediately moved to TE. He's bulked up and turned into a dynamic pass catching TE. Stop me if you've heard this before. We've been through this with Heath Miller, and now again with Jake McGee.
Now, let's be honest. Comparing McGee to Miller is a bit of an insult to Big Money. Miller set an ACC record for TDs as a freshman tight end with 9. McGee didn't have a single catch as a freshman. By the end of his career, Heath was a Mackey Award winner, and arguably the greatest TE in ACC history. McGee has a long way to go to match Heath's achievements.
McGee, of course, has had to deal with some talented TEs ahead of him on the depth chart. As a sophomore last year, McGee had 28 catches and 5 TDs. Not all that far from Heath's first year total of 33 catches and 9 TDs. McGee's catches actually went for more yards than Miller's. Miller didn't have to fight for reps with anybody, pretty much winning the job by default after Chris Luzar graduated in 2002. (Patrick Estes was there, but he was a blocking TE who totaled just 28 catches for his career and was converted to OT in the NFL). McGee, on the other hand, was behind Colter Phillips, Paul Freedman, and Jay Mathis.
As a freshman, McGee excelled on special teams, totaling 8 tackles and a forced fumble. It was during the second game of his sophomore season that McGee broke out. (He is all over these Penn State highlights.) Big things are expected from McGee this season (and hopefully the next).
Coming into school at 210, McGee has added nearly 30 pounds of muscle to his frame, while keeping his speed. That speed makes him a dangerous weapon in the passing game, and the added bulk helps him as a blocker. However, he still has a ways to go as a blocker. Heath turned himself into a great blocker by his junior season, and he's become one of the best blocking TEs in the NFL. If McGee wants to continue following in Heath's footsteps, that is the part of his game he needs to improve the most.