How do teams defend "positionless," tight end-based offense?
The rise of 12 personnel amongst many top offenses pursuing "positionless" football is definitely a challenge for defenses. Do they get big again? How can they counter?
There’s been a pretty straightforward variety of “positionless football” taking hold in college football the last half-decade or more, which is just teams running 12 personnel. The increase in skill level among big dudes at younger ages across all sports makes running multiple tight ends out on the field an increasingly intriguing option.
Why run an 11 personnel spread if you can get many of the same benefits in 12 personnel but retain the ability to put seven blockers in the box and bully nickel defenses with your run game? Oklahoma did this early on with Lincoln Riley when he inherited a number of solid fullbacks and star flex tight end Mark Andrews. Iowa State had the formula down as well when they would play with Charlie Kolar and Chase Allen as a pair of big tight ends, often with another blocking tight end also on the field, but routinely flex one or both to run routes.
More recently we saw Georgia blend 11 personnel spread tactics with 12 personnel bully-ball by moving Brock Bowers around from the slot to the box.
These teams’ flex tight ends are more receiver than tight end but as the 7th man in the box blocking a defensive back against a nickel defense or running routes on a linebacker against a base defense, they cause obvious problems. Defenses have needed to evolve to stop them.
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