Texas A&M TE Boone Stutz (88) started 10 games and also handled the Aggies' long-snapping duties
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers doubled their undrafted free agent haul on Thursday, signing Texas A&M tight end Boone Stutz and Oregon linebacker Anthony Trucks. Three days earlier, the team had announced the signings of South Florida running back Andre Hall and West Virginia safety Jahmile Addae.
There's a good reason Hall and Addae got their paperwork done more quickly – they're local men. Both are former high school stars in the Bay area, Hall in St. Petersburg and Addae in Riverview. The Bucs widened their search quite a bit to bring in Trucks, who hails from California, and Stutz, who played college in his home state after a brief detour through Alabama.
The 6-1, 234-pound Trucks was labeled a safety/linebacker "tweener" by some scouts but was used to great effect by Oregon coaches. His senior season, in fact, was enormously productive: 99 tackles, 11 sacks, one interception and five forced fumbles. Trucks also started most of the 2004 campaign and turned in 55 tackles, 6.5 sacks and three passes defensed.
Obviously, Trucks rushes the passer well, and he is known as the ultimate hustle player. Recruited out of high school as a receiver, Trucks spent his first two seasons playing primarily on special teams, where he also has the tools to excel. He played his high school football in Antioch, California.
Stutz (6-6, 256) is an accomplished long-snapper, having honed his skills in high school in Arlington, Texas then handled the same duties at Texas A&M the last two years. Stutz actually began his college career at Alabama in 2001. However, after red-shirting that year and playing in one game for the Crimson Tide in 2002, he transferred to A&M, following the move of Head Coach Dennis Franchione.
Stutz thus had to sit out the 2003 season, but he played extensively over the last two seasons, playing in all 23 games with 10 starts. His receiving totals included 13 catches, 11 as a junior, and two touchdowns. He also had two very good seasons as the Aggies' long-snapper. He will likely handle those duties during the Bucs' rookie mini-camp this weekend.
