compact, rising Sam Houston TE with coachable upside
Cade Hays enters the 2026 season as a 6-foot-1, 235-pound sophomore tight end for Sam Houston, giving the Bearkats a sturdy, active-bodied target with room to grow. His appeal is less about gaudy box-score production and more about projectable traits: size, toughness, and the kind of developmental profile teams like to mold into a reliable in-line TE or hybrid move piece. He also brings Texas roots and a multi-stop path (Cooper HS/Sul Ross), which usually signals resilience and a grinder’s edge.
