Florida’s Kyle Pitts has established himself as the premier tight end in college football this season. Pitts’ dominance has played a huge role in the Gators’ 8-1 record and top spot in the SEC East.

Pitts was recently named as a semifinalist for the Mackey Award and the Biletnikoff Award.

It appears likely that Pitts is heading towards becoming a high pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. So what is it specifically that separates Pitts from his peers? ESPN draft guru Todd McShay explained during Wednesday’s ESPN’s College Football Live why Pitts has an extremely bright future.

“Kyle Pitts, to me, is a freak,” McShay said via 247Sports. “He has emerged as the No. 1 tight end in the draft class and one of the best players in all of college football. I talked to him today and he said the biggest difference in his game this year from a year ago is he’s gotten bigger and stronger. And you can see it, he’s imposing his will. He’s always been fast, he’s always been athletic. His ability to get off of (press, man coverage) and then after the catch, with the speed that he has, to just shove (defenders) away … he’s just different than every other player that I’ve watched in college football on the offensive side. I love the contested catches, 50-50 balls are like 80-20 when you’re throwing to Kyle Pitts. And that’s why the quarterback Kyle Trask has so much trust in this guy. He has earned it and he is special.”

It’s quite the luxury to have a pass catching machine at tight end. Pitts has amassed a team-high 11 touchdowns along with 641 yards.

Pitts probably won’t win the Heisman, but the fact there’s a real chance he could become the first tight end to make the top 10 of the voting in the new millennium is even more proof of how special he’s been.