CHAPEL HILL – A diverse skillset is required to be an elite tight end.
A tight end could be asked to create separation by running a route against the safety on one play. Then, on the very next snap, the same player could be asked to block a 300-pound defensive lineman.
When North Carolina tight end Kamari Morales arrived in Chapel Hill, he came with a reputation more as a receiver than a blocker. Often used as a wide receiver during his high school days at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, FL, Morales caught 13 touchdown passes in his last two seasons with the Trojans.
Last fall, earning a PFF grade of 68, Morales started realizing his potential as a pass-catching tight end at the collegiate level. He ranked second on the team with five touchdown catches, tying senior wide receiver Antoine Green. The five endzone grabs are the most by a UNC tight end since Bobby Blizzard snagged as many in the 2002 season.
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While lighting up the scoreboard will get a players' name in the post-game write-up, a skill Morales has developed that won't show up in the highlight reels is his ability to block. No matter how much of a threat Morales is while the ball is in the air, the 6-foot-2, 242-pounder knew greater consistency across the board would gain the coaching staff’s trust.
“I would say consistency,” said Morales about an area in which he has improved. "I've gained a lot of the coaches’ trust. This game is all about trust. Everybody here is talented, that's why we are here.
“It's all about stacking up plays, stacking up practices, and I know it would eventually lead to more time, and you got to take advantage of it when you get it. “
The belief the coaching staff had in Morales was evident, as he became the team’s primary tight end in 2021, playing 421 snaps, the most of any other UNC player at the position. Particularly, Morales' most significant increase in reps came on running plays. He went from 117 in 2020 to being on the field 181 times when Carolina decided to keep the ball on the ground in 2021.
While the road to becoming a better blocker isn't fun, Morales credits repetitive drills with UNC tight end Coach John Lilly as the primary source of his improved blocking.
"Honestly, I have the best tight end coach in America, John Lilly," Morales proclaimed. "He's the greatest coach in the whole world. I'm not just saying that because he's my coach; I genuinely believe he's the best in the business.
"Just the drills that we've done with him, it gets so repetitive because we do them every single day, but the fact that I have been able to do that with him the past two years, has definitely improved me as a run blocker - just my footwork.”
As well as the other related skills to effectively moving defenders around.
“My issue was never strength,” Morales said. “I have always been strong. It was all about my footwork and technique. Blocking is about technique and want-to. So, once I got the technique down, I was ready to go. That's why I have improved so much, from coaching and attention to details."
Morales' uptick in production came when the Heels needed someone to step up and help All- ACC receiver Josh Downs in the passing game. As younger pass-catching targets emerge, his stats might dip in 2022.
However, no matter how many trips to the end zone the Florida native makes next season, Morales is likely to be on the field most of the game because he has gotten consistent in the small things.
