Jonathan Smith, MSU Football Offers Elite Young TE
You don't have to look hard to notice it. Watch tight end Jack Velling's tape from against Maryland this past Saturday. What do you see? Involvement. And not just in the flats or in short-passing routes. No, Velling is going downfield.
That is because at Michigan State, where new head coach Jonathan Smith wants to establish verticality, the Spartans send their tight ends deep. Spartans tight ends coach Brian Wozniak and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren have their prototypical tight end.
That player is 6-foot-5 and up, a modern "basketball" type, with the ability to run routes and be a receiving threat. Big catch radiuses are a plus. The Spartans were able to land such tight ends in the 2025 class, with the commitments of Emmett Bork and Jayden Savoury (both three-stars).
The tight end trend is carrying on into future classes like 2027. The Spartans offered Cleveland, Ohio tight end D'Angelo White on Sunday. White, from Villa Angela-St. Joseph, already holds 12 offers from programs like Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio State, and several Big Ten programs.
At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, he fits the physical profile for what a tight end will look like in the green and white.
The fact that the Spartans use their tight ends vertically with their route trees is a big plus in the eyes of recruits. I spoke with elite five-star 2026er Brock Harris, for example, who praised the offenses use of the position.
"They're always actually downfield running routes, because some schools [when] most tight ends will run routes it's a simple hitch or like a 5-yard route that isn't downfield at all," Harris had said. " I liked all the really cool ways [Michigan State is] doing it."
The Spartans recently offered a West Coast tight end, Israel Briggs. Briggs was lauded by 247Sports' Greg Biggins, who called him one of the hottest recruits in the class thanks to a big offseason.
"Projects best as a tight end at the next level and that’s where he’s predominately being recruited," Biggins wrote. "He totaled 44 catches for 571 yards and eight touchdowns and you can see the basketball background in his game as he’s a fluid athlete who wins 50-50 balls and is able to easily track the ball down the field. He runs well after the catch, can make defenders miss in the open field and is a willing blocker as well with a nice edge in his game. Scholarship offers have come in from all over the country and he’s easily among the more intriguing athletes in the '26 West Coast class."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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MICHAEL FRANCE