Masunas to be Michigan State's X-Factor on Offense?
Nobody could have guessed Michigan State tight end Michael Masunas would lead the Spartans in receiving in their season opener against Florida Atlantic.
Masunas, who got his first collegiate start, posted 29 yards on two receptions. He outshined star tight end Jack Velling, who is anticipated to be one of the nation's top tight ends this season.
"Mike's been awesome," Velling said earlier this week. "And I kind of knew that coming into spring ball. I didn't know any of these guys -- Mike was kind of the first guy that popped out there and started playing really well and kept that all the way through fall camp, and he's been rolling. He had a great game Friday night, and I'm just looking forward to seeing him improve each week."
Masunas, who came to Michigan State as the top tight end in the state of Arizona, redshirted his first season before mostly playing on special teams last season. His start was a result of hard work finally paying off.
"I got a little nerves in me, but I was excited," Masunas said. "I've been working for this, so I just tried to take my deep breaths, relax and just kind of embrace the moment."
The redshirt sophomore tight end made it clear the coaching staff made the right decision sending him out with 1s.
"I stayed true to what we've been building up through spring and then fall, just trusting the process, doing your job, and then, everyone else will come together," Masunas said. "We had a couple of guys on defense go down, people stepped up, same thing on offense. Like I said, it's a team sport, so we all got to build each other up at the end of the day."
The question is, where does Masunas go from here? There's no doubt Velling will overcome that underwhelming Week 1 outing and eventually be the star we all expected to see this year.
But Masunas' role should still be critical. There will be times that opposing defenses suffocate Velling and receivers like Montorie Foster Jr. and Jaron Glover with heavy coverage, which will open up opportunities for Masunas to sneakily make a presence in the passing game.
Expect him to be the offense's X-factor this season.
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