Author
Christopher Boan is a staff writer for BetMichigan.com. He has covered sports and sports betting for more than seven years and has worked for publications such as ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
As the 2024 college football season at Michigan sportsbooks gets closer to its conclusion, it’s worth wondering which standout at one of the most overlooked offensive positions is best suited to grab a marquee award.
The honor in question is the yearly John Mackey Award, given out to the best tight end in the country. Georgia’s Brock Bowers took home the honor in 2022 and 2023 after hauling in 118 passes for 1,656 yards and 13 touchdowns before jet-setting his way to the NFL.
We are one step closer to learning who will be the 2024 John Mackey Awards winner, because the eight semifinalists have been announced. The award is named after the great tight end for Syracuse, who went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Colts and Chargers.
All season, we have been breaking down odds on which tight end has the best shot at taking home the Mackey Award. These odds are exclusive to BetMichigan.com, the home of the best Michigan sports betting promos.
Tight End | College | Odds | Percentage Chance |
Tyler Warren | Penn State | +200 | 33.3% |
Harold Fannin Jr. | Bowling Green | +225 | 30.8% |
Tanner Koziol | Ball State | +900 | 10.0% |
Colston Loveland | Michigan | +1250 | 7.4% |
Eli Stowers | Vanderbilt | +1250 | 7.4% |
Gunnar Helm | Texas | +2500 | 3.8% |
Mason Taylor | LSU | +2500 | 3.8% |
Mitchell Evans | Notre Dame | +3500 | 2.8% |
These are the only eight candidates for the 2024 John Mackey Award, having been named semifinalists on Nov. 5.
This season, Tyler Warren out of Penn State and Harold Fannin Jr. of Bowling Green have separated themselves from the field as the tight ends atop our board going into the final few weeks of the college football season. There are plenty of other contenders, too.
Check out our Michigan Wolverines football betting guide as well. Michigan TE Colston Loveland (pictured at top) has 53 receptions for 560 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Wolverines in all three categories, even after he missed a game. The junior is on our board at +1250 odds, tied for fourth.
The leader in the Mackey Award clubhouse is a senior from Mechanicsville, Virginia, who has set the all-time record for most receptions by a tight end in FBS history.
Warren, the Penn State standout, gashed USC for 224 receiving yards on 17 catches in the Nittany Lions’ 33-30 overtime victory on Oct. 12 in Los Angeles. That matched the Big Ten high for receptions in a game, last done by Joe Harvey of Northwestern in 1982 against Michigan. The Nittany Lions (9-1 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) have +2000 odds to win the national title with DraftKings Michigan Sportsbook.
Through Penn State’s first 10 games, Warren has hauled in 67 catches for 808 yards and five touchdowns. But he has proven his versatility when asked to run, too. Warren has 157 yards on just 16 rushing attempts this season (an average of 9.8 yards per carry) with four scores.
His productivity has Warren atop our Mackey Award odds board with +200 odds – that would translate to an 33.3% implied probability at Michigan sports betting apps. He ranks ahead of Fannin (+225), who is second on our board and closing in on Warren.
Fannin is second in the nation in receiving yards with 1,170 the only tight end in the country to surpass 1,000 yards so far. The Bowling Green standout is third among all players in receptions (83) and tops among tight ends.
In third place on our board this week is Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol (79 catches, 724 yards, 7 TDs).
Check out our Michigan State Spartans football betting guide for more Big Ten insight geared toward readers in the Great Lakes State.
USA Today Network photo by Junfu Han
Author
Christopher Boan is a staff writer for BetMichigan.com. He has covered sports and sports betting for more than seven years and has worked for publications such as ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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