Michigan State Football Offers Big TE Target
Michigan State is the first major Division I school to offer 2026 tight end Edward Whiting, of Jefferson High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Whiting has received interest from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa State, but he has yet to receive an offer. He does hold an offer from FCS South Dakota State, however. Whiting fits the prototype for tight ends coach Brian Wozniak. He has an imposing frame at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds.
Right away, we see a correlation between Whiting and what we know to be Wozniak's preferred measurables and traits. As I wrote this summer:
"He is targeting tall, athletic, 'basketball' type tight ends that can be playmakers downfield. ... Wozniak seems to prefer his tight ends to be around 6-foot-6, almost basketball forward size. Look at his two 2025 commits. Three-star tight ends Emmett Bork and Jayden Savoury are both 6-foot-6. Both play well in contested situations and can get the ball in traffic. ... Perhaps Wozniak's best work is Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgraves, who played for the coach when he was at Oregon State. Musgraves, 6-foot-6, 253 pounds, was the 42nd pick of the 2023 NFL Draft."
Whiting told 247Sports that he was going to visit East Lansing after his season was over.
"It's great to get an offer from Michigan State," Whiting said. "Because it is my first FBS offer and I really liked talking to their tight ends coach about their offense and what they do at Michigan State."
It is not shocking that Whiting liked Wozniak, who has been a hit with just about every tight end target. Five-star 2026 tight end Brock Harris discussed it with me once.
"When we got in the film room, [I like] the way [Spartans tight ends coach Brian Wozniak] uses the tight ends," he said. "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. I liked all the really cool ways [Michigan State is] doing it."
The Spartans are the first to offer Whiting, but expect other major Division I schools to pile on.
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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