I think what took so long was learning how to effectively block. Many thought he'd just come in and play because of his athleticism, but he had to learn the physical aspect of being a TE. And you won't play TE on this team if you can't prove yourself as a blocker. Stover is a monster on the football in the best sense of the word. He just loves to get out there and hit someone, and the fact that he's also athletic and has incredible hands makes him a sudden important weapon is this offense. I'm sure Scott has never really had to block in his entire football career, he's used to being the #1 WR. It takes some guys years to figure out the nuisances of being a complete TE as opposed to being a WR. The first name that comes to mind of someone who on paper should've been an amazing TE was Jake Stoneburner. A guy with all the size in the world, but was a WR in HS who could overpower smaller DBs, but at OSU when they tried to convert him to a TE, fans thought he'd be our version of Jason Witten(or in modern times he'd be our version of Travis Kelce). But he didn't seem to like to block or get physical, and his career floundered and he never gained any footing in college. He got picked up as a UDFA based on measurables
Yes. But also Scott's inability to be as good of a blocker as Stover limits his PT as well. There's a reason why Mitch Rossi has also played more than Scott as well
He's listed at 6'3 239lbs on the OSU website, he's about 10lbs lighter than Rossi and 15lbs less than Stover. So he's not small, but more like a H-back. And also, he's played WR his entire career, he's still learning to play TE. He'll see PT in 2 TE sets, and be used as a mismatch. But like I stated above, sometimes it takes guys longer to adjust to new positions. He's going to be another weapon for Stroud in the long run. But he's going from blocking DBs, to LBs and DEs, thats a BIG freaking difference to adapt to. And also adapting to the fact that you may only see the ball thrown your way 1-3 times a game, and not 8-10.
Indeed! I noticed them focusing on the TE a good amount at the spring game as well, and that's why I had assumed that Royer would break out, but instead switch his name for Stover. And I'm sure Scott will eventually be used as a great mismatch, because if the focus on defense will be on MHjr, Egbuka and Fleming, you then have Stover, and a TE with WR skills in Scott who is too big for a S to cover and too fast for many LBs. I'm sure there are still a bunch of wrinkles to this offense that Day has yet to use, because he hasn't had to. Maybe against the more talented teams we'll see some plays that fans have been clamoring for like passes to Treveyon in space, and Scott getting passes in jump balls or blown coverages
