Not long after the Gophers hired back Kirk Ciarrocca as offensive coordinator last December, he sat in his office across from senior Brevyn Spann-Ford, reminded of the tight end's massive potential.
Ciarrocca coached Spann-Ford as a redshirt freshman in 2019 but left for the same coaching position at Penn State after that season.
In his return, Ciarrocca hopes to unlock the talent of one of the U's breakout candidates under coach P.J. Fleck in 2022.
After listening to Spann-Ford talk about a "big vision" for himself in that meeting last spring, Ciarrocca wanted only one thing: show me and not tell me.
"Since he walked out of my office that day, he's done nothing but show me that he's willing to do the work," Ciarrocca said.
With prototypical NFL tight end size — 6-7, 270 pounds — Spann-Ford has been attracting the attention of pro scouts since he arrived on campus as a two-sport standout from St. Cloud Tech in 2018.
One of quarterback Tanner Morgan's main targets last year, Spann-Ford had his best season with 23 catches for 296 yards. He started three games and combined to make six catches for 129 yards against Indiana and Wisconsin to end Big Ten play.
When asked if his role changes with Ciarrocca back, Spann-Ford said "a little bit" since Fleck's longtime play-caller was known for wide receivers thriving in the passing game.
"Nothing dramatically," Spann-Ford said. "Just getting everyone an opportunity to make plays was our goal for the spring. I think we did a really good job of that."
The next stage in Spann-Ford's development is to become the best all-around player he can be after the graduation of starter Ko Kieft, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"One thing I've really excelled in is stepping up in leadership," Spann-Ford said, crediting Kieft specifically for instilling the importance of that role.
Kieft, drafted in the sixth round of this year's NFL draft, didn't have Spann-Ford's natural pass-catching ability, but he started all 13 games last season. He was known as a ferocious blocker, and for his toughness and consistency.
"Showing up to work every day and no complaining," Spann-Ford said about Kieft.
Known for his fun and engaging personality more than an all-business approach, Spann-Ford excels at bringing teammates together. He shows them around at the State Fair. He brings players home to St. Cloud. His quirky interviews with teammates became a hit on the team's Twitter and Instagram accounts, with a segment called "Brevyn's Barber Shop."
But carrying over from the spring to fall camp, Spann-Ford's leadership presence on the field grabbed everyone's attention. He stood out with his improved route running and blocking, physicality and consistent workouts over the summer.
Spann-Ford's mentoring the U's younger tight ends, especially redshirt freshman Jameson Geers, "making sure he's doing a lot of stuff I'm doing, kind of like what the older guys taught me."
Ciarrocca said Spann-Ford has been "outstanding," and "since I got here in December, I noticed that this is a very mature young man, this is a very-focused young man."
The Gophers promoted Greg Harbaugh Jr. from quality control to tight ends coach in January. Harbaugh has spearheaded rapid growth at the position, but Spann-Ford already envisioned bigger things for himself his senior year.
"I think Greg has done a great job with him," Ciarrocca said. "But Brevyn is very committed to realizing his potential. ... He's a young man who knows exactly what he wants and is willing to put the action behind it."
