Seawolves Return Three Letterwinners from 2008
Stony Brook, N.Y. - With fall football practice now in full swing for the Stony Brook University Seawolves, GoSeawolves.org will present a position by position look at the 2009 team during the course of fall camp. Today the Stony Brook tight ends will be featured.
While the wide-out corps is relatively inexperienced, Stony Brook's tight ends are an experienced group, with a trio of solid seniors returning to the squad.
Senior Chris Tyler (Rocky Hill, Conn.) started at tight end last season and averaged 11 yards per catch for the Seawolves. Senior Melaquan Saffold (Syracuse, N.Y.), who also fills the role of lead blocker for the running game, has regularly slipped out of the backfield during his career, making 15 catches and scoring three touchdowns. Senior Bo Cassel (Rough and Ready, Calif.) was solid in his first season at Stony Brook, playing in 10 games and bringing in five catches and leading the group with 75 total yards.
Sophomore Brett Arce (Coalinga, Calif.) and redshirt freshman David Shukri (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) will provide depth at the position for the Seawolves. Arce has one season of junior college experience under his belt while Shukri redshirted last season as he gained a year of experience in the program.
"The tight end position will be another strength of our team," remarked head coach Chuck Priore. "Chris Tyler and Melaquan Saffold are four-year players that bring a lot of experience, and Bo Cassel coming off his first year in our program gives us a number of options. We also brought in Brett Arce to the mix from the junior college ranks, so it will be a strong position for us. We need and use a lot of tight ends; their ability to contribute on both the blocking side and receiving side will be very important to our success."
While the wide-out corps is relatively inexperienced, Stony Brook's tight ends are an experienced group, with a trio of solid seniors returning to the squad.
Senior Chris Tyler (Rocky Hill, Conn.) started at tight end last season and averaged 11 yards per catch for the Seawolves. Senior Melaquan Saffold (Syracuse, N.Y.), who also fills the role of lead blocker for the running game, has regularly slipped out of the backfield during his career, making 15 catches and scoring three touchdowns. Senior Bo Cassel (Rough and Ready, Calif.) was solid in his first season at Stony Brook, playing in 10 games and bringing in five catches and leading the group with 75 total yards.
Sophomore Brett Arce (Coalinga, Calif.) and redshirt freshman David Shukri (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) will provide depth at the position for the Seawolves. Arce has one season of junior college experience under his belt while Shukri redshirted last season as he gained a year of experience in the program.
"The tight end position will be another strength of our team," remarked head coach Chuck Priore. "Chris Tyler and Melaquan Saffold are four-year players that bring a lot of experience, and Bo Cassel coming off his first year in our program gives us a number of options. We also brought in Brett Arce to the mix from the junior college ranks, so it will be a strong position for us. We need and use a lot of tight ends; their ability to contribute on both the blocking side and receiving side will be very important to our success."
