MSU Redshirt Sophomore TE Has Stood Out in Camp, Receives Praise From Wozniak, Velling
When it comes to the tight end position for Michigan State football, all the outside talk, of course, has been centered around transfer tight end Jack Velling, who is anticipated to be one of the nation's best at the position.
But the Spartans have a few solid backups in the room, some of which have made some noise in fall camp so far.
One of those under-the-radar tight ends is Michael Masunas, a redshirt sophomore who was one of the top tight ends in the 2022 recruiting class.
"I think Michael has had as solid as a camp as anybody, offensively," said Michigan State tight ends coach Brian Wozniak when he addressed the media this past week. "Mike Masunas, he's playing really, really well. He's just so steady, so smart. When he makes a mistake, he's the one that knows it first. Love what he's doing, in particular, in the run game, but he's not a one-trick pony. He can do some stuff in the pass game."
Velling also had words of praise for his fellow tight end teammate.
"Mike looks great," Velling said. "In spring ball, we saw him -- fantastic. He's kind of taking the next step, and he's feeling more comfortable with the playbook, and he's flying around, he's looking awesome. Blocking, catching, whatever it is, he's doing great."
Masunas has the luxury of learning from Velling, who has set an example for the rest of the players in his room.
"What you want those young guys learning from him is -- see this guy coming in, possible three-year starter, he's still taking notes like he's a freshman," Wozniak said. "How he goes about it, how he communicates, what he's thinking is kind of what I want those guys to be thinking."
After redshirting his freshman season, Masunas saw action in nine games last season, serving the majority of his snaps on special teams.
Masunas was the top tight end in the state of Arizona coming out of high school, per 247Sports. ESPN had him ranked the No. 39 tight end in his class.
It remains to be seen where Masunas ends up on the depth chart, but so far, he's done all he can do in camp to earn himself a decent spot in the rotation.
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