2026 Delaware Football Positional Preview: Tight Ends

The marriage between the run and pass game is the tight end room. This preseason’s framework will cover the four who’s: 1) who is back 2) who is new 3) who said what during the local media availability and 4) who (or what) caught my attention. Let us know if this is a format that you appreciate or if you would like us to try something new.

*Note: All snap counts, PFF grades, and recognition are from the 2025 season

Who is Back?

#88 Elijah Sessoms (652 offensive snaps, 2 special teams snaps. 47.2 PFF Grade)
- 22 receptions, 190 yards, 2 TD
#40 Scott Moore (204 offensive snaps, 154 special teams snaps. 41.7 PFF Grade)
- 6 receptions, 46 yards, 1 TD
#85 Jackson Whitacre (31 offensive snaps, 130 special teams snaps. 57.7 PFF Grade)
#86 Jaxson Bowman

Who is New?

#12 Josh Humes (Coastal Carolina Transfer): 85 offensive snaps, 109 special teams snaps. 43.7 PFF Grade
#15 Rowen Walsh (High School)
#41 David Oravetz (High School, Walk-On)

Who Said What?

Delaware Tight Ends Coach Tyler Ferguson
- (On how controlling his own positional room has been for him): “It’s been awesome, I’ve had so much fun. When I first got here, I worked in the receiver room under the previous wide receivers coach Alex Wood. So I had that receiver background, and then the past 5 years between Bryan Stinespring and Chris Rogers, I got molded into the run game with the offensive line. And I get to use both of those now running my own room and it’s been awesome. Coach Carty challenges us a lot, and it really improves us as coaches and us as a unit. I’m having a lot of fun with it, it’s been great.”
- (On Elijah Sessoms’ improvements this offseason): “I think Elijah’s best quality and what he’s improved on the most is leadership. He’s at the point where this is his last ride here with the Blue Hens, and I think he’s done a tremendous job of taking control of the tight end room and running the show as far as being the leader there. He’s also improved in every facet of the game, whether it’s run blocking, pass protection, and we can count on him to go catch a ball whenever we need him to… I’m really excited for Elijah.”
- (On Scott Moore’s development): “Scott came in last year in a senior-heavy tight end room, and I think those guys did a great job developing him. Scott’s extremely intelligent, one of the smartest guys in the room on and off the field. We’re really hoping he can take that jump to take a lot of snaps. He’s athletic enough in the pass game and he’s strong enough to hold up in the run game. We’re really looking forward to seeing what Scott can do here come September 3rd.”
Delaware Tight End Elijah Sessoms
- (On his personal focus of offseason development): “I worked on my ability to stay on the field and healthy, my ability to just be stronger, faster, understand defenses… just try to be a better overall athlete. And I worked on my leadership. I worked on ways that I could help the team even when I’m not on the field.”
- (On Scott Moore’s impact to the room): “He’s a sponge… I see myself in Scott. He’s so attentive with everything. In the meeting room he’s asking extra questions, he’s even coming to me on the side when he doesn’t know things. He’s definitely taken the next step. He’s always been great on learning the plays and being ready when his name is called… and he’s going to be an even better player going forward.”
- (On how he would like to go out as a senior): “I want to end off with a ring. I want a conference championship, that’s our team goal. I also want to go out leaving an impact on the group of student athletes that are still here because UD has been nothing but been great to me, so I feel like I should do that in return.”
Delaware Tight End Scott Moore
- (On Elijah Sessoms’ impact to his first year): “When I got here, I was very quiet and didn’t really open up that much. Elijah came up to me to make sure that if I have any questions, ask him. When we’re on the field, if I do something wrong he points it out and tells me what to do. He’s very upfront, and I love that in him. I remember the first time I went in with 12 personnel with him in a game… he wasn’t out of control and he was making sure that I was in the right spot. He’s a great leader, for sure.”
- (On if he was surprised by his year 1 usage): “I was a little bit at first. I knew that my speed was something that they wanted to use. I got more reps in practice, but it wasn’t super noticeable. I think LA Tech was that first game where I got those two catches, I remember it was a two-minute drill. Coach Smith turned around and told me to go in. I didn’t have time to be surprised, so I just went in there and did my thing. After the game, I debriefed… if they’re going to keep using me, I’m going to continue to become a person that they want to keep using.”

Who (or What) Caught my Attention?

Elijah Sessoms has seen the program evolve from year 1 in 2022 into this season’s preparation for his 5th and final year. As a 302 native, he’s seen a lot more local attention around Delaware Football since its move to FBS. “People from back in Dover told me that they haven’t been Blue Hen fans in a while, but they got more and more into Delaware recently and going up to games more consistently,” Sessoms described. “I can definitely feel the state getting behind Delaware. It’s creating a great culture and a great community behind this program.”
While Sessoms’ hometown is the closest in distance to Newark in the tight end room, Scott Moore’s of Girard, Kansas is the farthest. “I take pride in that too… I love that I’m from the Midwest. I make sure everyone around here knows it,” Moore responded when told that he’s the first ever Blue Hen on the roster from Kansas. He discussed that his recruitment out of high school was initially slow, but former tight ends coach/current quarterbacks coach Garrett Smith came across his senior year tape on Twitter and wanted to get him up to Newark for an official visit. “When I got here for my official visit, I loved the place and the coaching staff. Most of all, I really felt like I belonged here… and then I committed that same night.” Moore is in for a larger role in the Delaware offense this fall.
The room also returns a pair of Jacksons (or Jaxson) in Jackson Whitacre and Jaxson Bowman, as well as new signings in Coastal Carolina transfer Josh Humes and incoming freshman Rowen Walsh. Tight ends coach Tyler Ferguson noted that both Whitacre and Bowman have been doing a great job on and off the field in their developments, while Humes has added more leadership to the room as a veteran. “It’s a great group of guys,” Ferguson said. “They handle their business off the field and they’re very smart in the classroom. I really love and enjoy working with them.”