While the Jets’ first move of the legal tampering wasn’t a flashy one, it was one that needed to be made.
With Joe Thuney and Brandon Scherff franchise tagged by the Patriots and Redskins, respectively, and Jack Conklin and Graham Glasgow signing elsewhere, the Jets needed to add to their offensive line. In came George Fant.
Joe Douglas opted to sign the former Seahawks swing tackle to a three-year deal worth $27.3 million. The Jets can get out of the deal after one-year, so it’s essentially a one-year deal, worth $9.25 million.
Fant is a bit of an enigma. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the 62nd-ranked tackle last year among those that played 20 percent of snaps. However, he’s young, versatile and coming off a season in which he was successful in limited opportunities. Clearly, the Jets are banking on his potential after missing out on their top targets.
With that said, let’s get to know the Jets’ latest addition to the offensive line.
Basketball Background
George Fant had a four-year standout basketball career at Western Kentucky University before transitioning to football.
Throughout his first four years at Western Kentucky, Fant was urged to join the school’s football team, but he refused. He received multiple letters from NFL teams trying to gauge his interest in 2015, but he tossed the letters away.
Fant used his fifth year of collegiate eligibility to play football after weighing his options after college. He joined the Western Kentucky football team to play tight end, where he played one season. He appeared in two games with one reception for seven yards on offense and a pair of tackles on defense.
Following the 2015 season, Fant bulked up, going from 270 pounds to 296 pounds, and become an offensive lineman. He wound up impressing the Seahawks front office at the Hilltoppers’ pro day.
Versatility
George Fant was used as a hybrid tight end on tackle-eligible plays in Seattle.
In 2018, after rookie tight end Will Dissly got injured during a regular season game, Fant began to play an offensive tackle/tight end role. He would line up as a sixth offensive lineman, either on the line itself or outside, and reported as an eligible receiver.
In his new role, Fant found great success, helping the Seahawks lead the league in rushing in 2018. In 2019, Pete Caroll and the Seattle coaching staff designated a similar role for Fant, who served as the team’s primary backup offensive tackle on both sides of the line.
Unique NFL upbringing
After playing only one year of college football at tight end, George Fant was obviously expected to go undrafted.
He was not among the 15 collegiate tight ends to receive an invite to the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. NFL teams were more focused on his teammate, Tyler Higbee, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
At Western Kentucky’s pro-day, Fant was listed as an offensive lineman. He impressed Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner, working out at various positions, including both tackle positions and linebacker. Although there was no game film on Fant playing at tackle, he impressed the Seahawks enough in his workout that they signed him as a priority UDFA at a position he’d never played before.
With little experience and little time to develop, Fant was thrown into the fire early on, starting 10 out of 14 appearances during his rookie campaign.
Flashes of Potential
While George Fant didn’t have a traditional transition to football and has struggled at times, his flashes of potential and raw athleticism have always been on full display.
Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl, agrees that Fant is chomping at the bit with his potential. The athletically gifted Fant has similar measurables to Iowa OL Tristan Wirfs, an athletic freak, who stole the show at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. Wirfs will be in play for the Jets if he gets out of the top-10, which seems rather unlikely. Regardless, Nagy views Fant as more ready to play for obvious reasons.
This glorified one-year deal is essentially an audition for Fant to show off his potential. He definitely improved his overall level of play in 2019, to the point where he most likely would have been the Seahawks’ starting right tackle had he been brought back.
Rather than re-signing a known commodity and swing tackle in Kelvin Beachum, the Jets are taking a risk on Fant’s potential, hoping that Frank Pollack can help him elevate his play to the next level.
