BOULDER — Although he feels a bit embarrassed by it, teammates have given Colorado tight end Tyson DeVree the nickname “T.D.”
It fits his name. It fits his game.
A 6-foot-5, 245-pound senior, DeVree has caught five of Cody Hawkins’ 13 touchdown passes. That’s more than double the number of scores of any other CU receiver.
“When Tyson is rolling, he’s a tough guy to stop,” Hawkins said.
DeVree also could be called “Mr. Fourth Down.” Three of his touchdown receptions occurred on do-or-die fourth-down calls. He could become a clutch target again Saturday when Colorado (4-4, 2-2 Big 12) faces Texas Tech (6-2, 2-2) in Lubbock.
A fourth of DeVree’s 20 catches this season have gone for six points. That should give Red Raiders safeties and linebackers plenty to think about in the red zone.
“I give most of the credit to Cody Hawkins,” DeVree said. “We did a lot of work together over the summer. We jelled really well.
“Cody has a real good ability to read the tight end. The tight end is usually the third, and even fourth, receiver in the progression. Cody is able to work through those.”
Nicknames aside, the most appropriate description of DeVree is patience and perseverance. Success and opportunities at Colorado took longer than he had hoped.
A native of Hudsonville, Mich., DeVree began his college career with two seasons at Western Michigan, where he often teamed with current Bronco Tony Scheffler in a two tight-end formation. In two seasons at WMU, DeVree caught 55 passes for 549 yards and six touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2004, DeVree earned second-team all-Mid- American Conference honors.
Things were good.
He wanted more.
“I was like ‘The Man’ at Western Michigan; I got a lot of balls thrown to me,” DeVree recalled. “Things came pretty easy there. But I wanted to see what I could do at a little bigger level.
“Colorado plays Texas and Oklahoma and all those big schools. I wanted to step up and see what I could do against that competition.”
DeVree had vacationed with his family in Colorado, mostly annual ski trips to Breckenridge. But he didn’t really know much about the CU campus or its football program.
By asking around and investigating further on the computer, DeVree found the Colorado program has always included the tight end as an important component of the offense. That philosophy dates well before the Bill McCartney era.
While the tight end position is viewed mostly as a sixth offensive lineman at some programs, Colorado considers it to be more than an after-thought in the passing game. It’s not a coincidence that the program has furnished the NFL with a bevy of tight ends, including Christian Fauria, Daniel Graham, Joe Klopfenstein and Quinn Sypniewski in recent years.
“Tight ends get the ball at Colorado,” DeVree said. “And pro football is a goal. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”
DeVree put in a call to then-CU coach Gary Barnett. After coaches reviewed his numbers at Western Michigan, he was offered a scholarship on the spot.
DeVree sat out the 2005 season in Boulder as a transfer and honed his skills while playing on the scout team and learned Barnett’s offense. Fortunately for DeVree, Dan Hawkins also loves tight ends.
“We’ve had years where several tight ends caught a lot of passes for us,” Dan Hawkins said. “Football is about matchups. When you can get a 250-pound tight end against a safety, that’s a matchup in your favor.”
DeVree suffered a chest injury early in August drills last season and finished the 2006 season with just four catches. Meanwhile, another tight end, Riar Geer, led the team with 24 catches.
With Geer being just a sophomore this season, DeVree had to wonder if he’d ever get much of an opportunity.
“You come to a place and think you’ll get all the passes,” DeVree said. “It doesn’t work that way.”
Geer tweaked a knee in fall camp, and DeVree got more playing time.
“You’ve just got to be patient sometimes,” DeVree said. “You just have to keep working and stick with it. I knew my time was coming.”
It did.
“Tyson really worked hard to get better every day,” tight ends coach Kent Riddle said. “He’s a good route runner. He’s got very good hands. He’s capable of making big plays.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
