Photo by Dayne Francis | The Signal
People have always expected big things from Ari Werts. From childhood to little league football to Saturday night football, the expectations are nothing new. Being his size did not help either; his 6-4 and 225-pound frame made him the perfect size for tight end. Now in the midst of the 2016 season, expectations have never been bigger.
Werts’ father, Larry Werts, is a former NFL player. He was drafted 200th overall out of Jackson State by the Green Bay Packers. His father only played five seasons in the league, but that was more than enough for Werts.
Werts’ father taught him the ins and outs of the game and taught him to love it. They might have played on different sides of the ball, but that did not stop the younger Werts from soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
“I just wanted to follow in his footsteps, I wanted to follow the path he made,” said Werts. “Ever since then, I fell in love with the game.”
As to why Werts did not follow in his father’s footsteps position-wise as a linebacker. He said tight end is the only position he ever knew. Werts started playing the position because he enjoyed grabbing tight end reverses from the quarterback, but as Werts grew more skillful, he learned things that made him love it even more.
“I love the mismatches,” said Werts. “I feel like a linebacker can’t guard me because I am big, I got speed, I got good hands, and I can block pretty well too.”
The mismatches Werts loved so much helped him exploit them on the field time and time again, and he continued to do so all throughout his prep career. Werts played his high school ball at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and the expectations would continue to follow. As he improved year after year, he would eventually earn All-Area recognition and at the completion of his prep career he would check off one of his own expectations.
“I always knew I would be playing D1 football,” said Werts “I was always focused in high school, I stayed on point, always on my P’s and Q’s.”
Amongst offers from Indiana, Boise State, and other D1 programs, Werts chose to become a Panther. He would start his freshman year on special teams but moved to the tight end position halfway through the season. In 2015, Werts got on the field as a tight end for the first time vs. Appalachian State and wasted no time leaving his impact as he caught two passes for 21 yards. He would save his best performance for last, which also happened to be Georgia State’s first-ever bowl game.
Werts would reel in three catches for 63 yards versus San Jose State and the production that the team expected when Werts first signed finally started to show. With a brilliant closing to his first collegiate season, Werts looks back on the year with a positive light.
“I’m just glad I adjusted to the college level, it was an adjustment year,” said Werts. “It was a great experience, and I loved it.”
When discussing the Panther’s 2016 season, Werts’ name is not held out of that discussion for long.
Werts’ is in for a breakthrough year and that he is one of the key Panther’s to watch this season, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Doug Roberson predicted that “ Werts could start if the team elects to use two tight ends, or to flex him out to create a matchup mismatch.”
Georgia State already has the ninth best passing attack in the country, so with a solid tight end, Georgia State could climb to the top five considering how well the new quarterback plays. There are expectations for him to be a huge impact at the position, and Werts’ knows this.
“I hear what they are saying, and I think I can bring a lot to this team as far as catching and blocking,” Werts said. “I feel like I have to step up to the plate now.”
Werts’ has also been doing the things necessary for him to have the season people are expecting. He had a solid spring game. Werts had good showings in both scrimmages, a 31-yard reception in the first scrimmage and 44 yards the next. He worked hard during the summer; off the field in the weight room and on the field with his route running.
“My greatest expectation is to just be a playmaker,” Werts said. “If the ball comes my way, I want to make a play on it, whether it’s too high or too low, and with my blocking to help our running backs score touchdowns.”
Werts is ready for the upcoming challenges of the 2016 season. He wants to succeed like never before, and he is ready to not only prove everyone around him right but to prove himself right. The expectation is just another thing that goes along with being Ari Werts, and that is nothing to be afraid of.
“I love expectation, if anything, I embrace it.”
