ODU tight end Zack Kuntz will miss rest of season due to undisclosed injury
Ricky Rahne finally shared some personnel news Monday, and it wasn’t good.
The Old Dominion coach said tight end Zack Kuntz will miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury.
Kuntz, a 6-foot-8, 251-pound NFL prospect who transferred from Penn State, hasn’t played since leaving three plays into an Oct. 1 loss to Liberty with what appeared to be a right knee injury, though Rahne declined to confirm that.
Rahne did say that Kuntz would have surgery “soon.”
“It won’t be anything that’s going to last very long or anything like that,” Rahne said. “But he was trying to see how long he could go and see if he could rehab it and get back, and it just wasn’t something that could happen.”
A native of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, Kuntz caught 12 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns in five games before the injury.
Last season as a sophomore, Kuntz led the Monarchs and was second in the country among tight ends with 73 receptions. With 692 receiving yards and five touchdowns, he was named first-team All-Conference USA.
Rahne said he and his players had known for a while that Kuntz was out for the season. That didn’t soften the blow for those closest to him.
“Even outside of the facility, off the field, Zack’s one of my guys,” said junior offensive tackle Leroy Thomas. “So I know the news was definitely hard for him. We’re going to be there for him and make sure his spirits are up. Anything he needs, he knows I’m there for him.”
Senior cornerback Tre Hawkins agreed.
“It hurts, but at the end of the day, injuries happen in a football game,” Hawkins said before referring to this week’s game against Marshall. “We’re definitely sad for him. It’s not like we’re leaving Zack behind. We definitely have love for Zack, but if anything, he’ll want us to move forward and focus on the game, focus on this game for him, play for him and put him on our shoulders.”
With an offense that relies upon the position, ODU (3-5, 2-2 Sun Belt) has five more tight ends on the roster. Isaiah Spencer, a junior, leads the remaining group with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
That wasn’t the first thought Thomas had when he learned of the seriousness of the injury, but he’s confident in Kuntz’s backups.
“I was more worried about him as a person,” Thomas said.
“I obviously hate to see Zack go down as my friend and as my teammate. But I think our tight end room is more than capable of making plays. So I’m excited for those guys to step up and to see them make plays next game.”
In keeping with a personal policy against discussing injuries, Rahne declined to update Kuntz’s status for weeks. At the end of Monday’s weekly press conference, Rahne volunteered the information.
He added that he planned to discuss Kuntz’s future options with him and his family.
“Obviously, I know he’s disappointed, but he’s still a major part of our team and one of our leaders,” Rahne said. “And I know that he’s going to continue to help our guys prepare for each and every game.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com
