Michigan State's Tight Ends May Be Most Overlooked Position Group Of 2022
Several of Michigan State football’s position groups have gotten a lot of attention this offseason.
Have the cornerbacks and safeties have improved in pass coverage after a disappointing 2021 season? Can the Spartans hold up along the offensive line with depth concerns? Can incoming transfer running backs Jarek Broussard and Jalen Berger recreate some of what Kenneth Walker III brought to East Lansing? Will the wide receiver room, with veterans Jayden Reed and Tre Mosley and a young, talented Keon Coleman live up to the hype? Who’s the backup quarterback going to be?
But one position group that isn’t getting nearly enough attention is the tight end room. Michigan State has depth and experience in this unit, which hasn’t been seen for some time in East Lansing.
It starts with Illinois graduate transfer Daniel Barker. In four years with the fighting Illini, Barker played in 44 games for the Fighting Illini, compiling 64 receptions for 827 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“I’ll tell you what, this guy, he loves football,” head coach Mel Tucker said of Barker at Big Ten Media Days. “He’s got really good energy, he’s always got a smile on his face and he just loves to play the game. He’s always working at it. So, he’s good for that room.”
Barker is a receiving tight end. In 11 games last season at Illinois, he had 18 receptions for 202 yards and four touchdowns. It’s fair to question his ability to block, and Tucker addressed that as well, but Barker is a player that can create mismatches for the Spartans offense.
“DJ is a good player,” Tucker said. “He’s a run and catch guy, but he does have toughness and I believe that he will block. We tell our guys, ‘No block, no rock’. So, he knows that’s the standard and the expectation. But, we do believe that he should be able to win some one-on-one matchups.”
In addition to his abilities on the field, Tucker says that Barker’s experience should have a good impact on the younger tight ends in the group.
“We have a good mixture of some veteran guys, but we have some young guys too who are really going to benefit from him. I mean, the guy has played a lot of football,” Tucker said.
Another of those veteran tight ends is graduate senior Tyler Hunt, who began his Spartan career as a walk-on punter in 2017. Hunt transitioned to tight end in 2020, and has steadily improved physically, as a pass-catcher and as a blocker.
“Every time I see Tyler Hunt he just keeps getting bigger,” Tucker said. “He’s really filled out. I can remember when we moved him to that spot, and he was just trying to hold up in the run game, trying to block guys, I mean, just trying to hang in there, and it’s much different now.”
In two seasons at tight end, Hunt has compiled 22 receptions for 214 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown in 2020 against Iowa, and completed a 15-yard pass to quarterback Payton Thorne on a tight end reverse in 2021 against Indiana.
“He’s got a really good skillset,” Tucker said of Hunt. “He’s a really tough guy, he’s smart, he cares and it’s been very gratifying to see him grow as a player.”
While Barker and Hunt are the veterans of the group, Michigan State also has some young tight ends who are generating excitement as well, and that starts with redshirt sophomore Maliq Carr.
After beginning his career with a redshirt season at Purdue, Carr transferred to Michigan State last season and got his feet wet with the Spartans. He appeared in all 12 games and totaled eight catches for 135 yards. Carr’s production picked up dramatically in the back-half of 2021, with seven catches for 128 yards in the final six games of the season.
“Maliq Carr, it’s obvious that he’s got a lot of talent,” Tucker said. “He’s a big guy, he’s long, he’s got really soft hands, he has versatility. He can pretty much do everything that we’re asking him to do.”
Carr’s versatility may allow him to line up as a wide receiver in some sets for Michigan State this coming season.
“He’s still young, but he is progressing,” Tucker said. “If we can keep him healthy, he’s going to continue to get better. I think he has a chance to earn a significant role on the team.”
True freshmen Jack Nickel – an early enrollee – and Michael Masunas are also names to watch at tight end in 2022. The youngsters will start the year below the names above on the depth chart, but there is talent there.
A reliable tight end can be a quarterback’s best friend, and Thorne has an array of options at the position heading into 2022. It will be exciting to see how offensive coordinator Jay Johnson utilizes the variety of skill sets that his tight ends bring this fall.
“We always have a tight end on the field,” Tucker said. “Jay Johnson does a really good job moving those guys around and putting them in positions where they can win one-on-one and use their skillset.”
Tucker's full comments about Michigan State's tight ends can be viewed below:
Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI
