Could TE Jack Velling be Michigan State's Next National Award Winner?
With all the offseason turnover and its tremendously difficult conference schedule, it's tough to predict the outcome of Michigan State football's 2024 season. What is for certain, though, is the talent the Spartans have brought over from Oregon State.
The best of these transfers is tight end Jack Velling, who is widely being considered one of the best in the nation. With such standards, it's very reasonable to think Velling has a shot at the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's top tight end.
Velling and his quarterback, Aidan Chiles, of course, have chemistry, having been teammates at Oregon State last season. That continued camaraderie will be huge for Velling's chances at the award, as the tandem has already formed a strong bond.
Velling was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team last year, having posted 438 yards and eight touchdowns on 29 receptions in 12 games.
Michigan State hasn't had a national award winner since running back Kenneth Walker III, who won the 2021 Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp National Player of the Year. The Doak Walker Award is given annually to the top running back in college football.
Despite these two honors, Walker was not nominated as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
In 2013, former Spartan cornerback Darqueze Dennard won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Dennard will be inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in September.
It had been a while until that point that the Spartans had a national award winner. The previous winner had been linebacker Percy Snow, who won the Lombardi Award and the Butkus Award in 1989. He was named a unanimous concensus All-American and finished eighth in the Heisman voting.
Snow would go on to be selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
It's a bit of a stretch to predict Velling to win the John Mackey Award this season, but he should certainly be in the pre-season conversation. While Velling is new to Michigan State, he has his same head coach in Jonathan Smith, his offensive coordinator in Brian Lindgren, his tight ends coach in Brian Wozniak and his quarterback in Chiles.
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