Boise State vs Oklahoma State Football

Boise State tight end John Bates (85) runs for extra yardage following a reception against Oklahoma State on Sept. 15, 2018, in Stillwater, Okla.

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The Idaho Press is counting down the top 20 questions facing the Boise State football team during the 2020 season. Today is question No. 17: Can tight end John Bates get to 40 catches?

Tight ends coach Kent Riddle had no problem throwing it out there earlier this summer while talking with reporters about the potential for John Bates as a senior this fall.

Riddle, Boise State’s longtime assistant, predicted that Bates might be able to make “40 to 50” catches as a senior.

Why is this so notable? The most catches Bates has in a season is 22, which he did last year while accounting for 273 yards and a touchdown.

In fact, in his three seasons with the Broncos, the senior-to-be has just 35 career catches — meaning Riddle thinks it's possible his production as a senior is better than the other three years of his career combined.

The thought of Bates getting to 40 catches is not crazy. The 6-foot-6, 256-pounder has been oozing with potential due to his combination of size and skill and seemingly is a mismatch in the slot on almost every play.

But whether it’s the game plan — Bates is a great blocker and is often asked to stay in and block — or the quarterback looking a different direction, the production and stats have yet to match the expectations some have had for him.

Riddle mentioned the high number of talented receivers and running backs as the reason why the ball wasn’t thrown Bates’ way much last season.

That could change this year. Boise State loses top receiver John Hightower to the NFL, and a pair of valuable tight ends in Garrett Collingham and Matt Pistone have moved on as well. That leaves a potentially bigger role as a pass catcher for Bates, who is the only tight end on the roster to record a catch for the Broncos last season.

Some including Riddle think Bates has a chance at continuing his career in the NFL due to his size, and a breakout senior season would certainly be a way to help make that happen.

Bates had three catches as a redshirt freshman and 10 as a sophomore before recording 22 last season. His natural progression would seem to give him a chance at a huge senior year — and losing some production in the passing game would only seem to help that.

But 40 catches is a lot. The closest a Boise State tight end has come to that mark in several years was Jake Roh, who had 39 receptions in 2017.

Quarterback Hank Bachmeier seemed to enjoy finding Bates as an option over the middle, and that relationship likely will only build in their second year together this fall.

Boise State feels confident in receivers Khalil Shakir and CT Thomas, but the Broncos are searching for a reliable No. 3 receiver. Could Bates be that guy? Riddle believes so. Time will tell if he’s right.

This article originally ran on idahopress.com.

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