Nov 16, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jiquan Sanks (9) tackles Iowa State Cyclones tight end Gabe Burkle (84) in the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. The Iowa State Cyclones won the game 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
AMES — Want to see Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht’s eyes light up?
Bring up tight end Gabe Burkle’s name.
The former Cedar Rapids Prairie star has emerged as Becht’s prime third option in the passing game — and the 6-6, 260-pound sophomore led the No. 22 Cyclones in receiving yards with a career-high 73 in last week’s 34-17 win over Cincinnati.
“He’s a dawg,” said Becht, who hopes to connect with Burkle and his other pass catchers often when ISU (8-2, 5-2) faces Utah (4-6, 1-6) in Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. regular-season road finale (FOX) at Rice-Eccles Stadium. “The catch he made over the middle (last Saturday), it was a bad ball by me, and he made it. He made me look good, so he had a great day. He’s going to continue to get better with all those tight ends out.”
Like at linebacker, the Cyclones have been beset by injuries at tight end. Star sophomore Ben Brahmer’s been in street clothes for the past month after suffering a lower-body injury in the win over UCF. Oft-injured teammate Tyler Moore joined him on the sidelines after getting hurt two weeks ago, and fullback/tight end hybrid Stevo Klotz has been playing through pain all season.
Enter Burkle, who’s played significant snaps even when those other tight ends have been on the field.
“He’s still a young pup,” ISU head coach Matt Campbell said of Burkle, who has 14 catches for 142 yards this season but has yet to reach the end zone. “I probably challenge him because I feel like he’s been here in our program forever, but he’s a redshirt sophomore and just a young puppy (who’s) still growing. We ask so much of Gabe. He’s so trusted that he starts on all the special teams. He was still, even before Ben got hurt, averaging 55 plays, 60 plays a game. So I think his role just took a different (turn) on Saturday — and none of those things surprised any of us because we knew he was a great pass catcher.”
Burkle caught a team-best-tying six passes last week on seven targets. His sure-footed route running and sure-handed ability to haul in catches help Becht thrive even when his top targets, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, draw double coverage. Utah’s given up the fifth-most passing touchdowns in the Big 12 this season, so expect his role to further expand under the lights in Salt Lake City.
“It definitely helped my confidence a lot,” Burkle said of his breakout performance against the Bearcats. “But I feel like building that up in practice, it starts with that first, and I just try to carry that over the best I can to the game.”
It’s unclear how long Brahmer and Moore will be out, but with their status shrouded in uncertainty, Burkle’s ability to both be productive in the passing game and block for the run game becomes increasingly important. He’s big, strong, and spry — and like Campbell said, still a “young pup” with a sky-high ceiling.
“I even went to ‘X’ and (posted), ‘Love seeing the tight ends have a great game,’” said Noel, who’s 65 receiving yards away from his first 1,000-yard season. “For him to step up in big moments like he did and make big plays, it was great for this team. Going into next year, that will only give him more confidence to keep growing and he’s gonna be a real player.”
Burkle’s burgeoning success is even attracting hometown fans who may root for the other FBS school in the state. As an Eastern Iowan, he takes that in stride — and welcomes all the support, even if some of it comes from folks who root against him at least one time each season.
“I get a lot of love from Cedar Rapids,” Burkle said. “Even though some of them are fans of the team out east, they’re still happy to see me have success over here. I get a lot of text messages, so it’s been great to feel the love from over there.”
The same goes for his quarterback from Florida, who will continue to count on him in crucial situations.
“He’s gonna be a big part of our offense the next few weeks,” Becht said.
