The Biggest Surprise From MSU Football's First Practice
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Tight end was a major question for Michigan State headed into fall camp. A group of four or five seemed to be in the mix for playing time entering fall camp. Thursday's initial practice provided a little bit of much-needed clarity.
Jayden Savoury and Eddie Whiting were two of the pleasant surprises for me when I got a glimpse of MSU's practice that morning. Two of the youngest members of that tight end room were already considered big parts of the unit's future, but they may be ready to be a big part of the present as well.
Early Pecking Order Among Tight Ends
There is a massive void to fill for this year's tight ends. The Spartans had to replace both Jack Velling and Michael Masunas, who were the team's clear-cut top two tight ends last year. Velling ran out of eligibility and signed as a UDFA with the Atlanta Falcons. Masunas entered the transfer portal and landed at Texas.
Only two catches from tight ends last season returned to the 2026 roster. One was a 16-yard catch by Savoury against Boston College, and the other was a 1-yard touchdown catch for Kai Rios during the season finale against Maryland. With the only transfer portal addition to the room being Carson Gulker, a Division II transfer who only started playing tight end at Ferris State in 2025, there has hardly been anything to go off of in the tight end room.
One drill had groups of two go at a time. Savoury and Brennan Parachek were the first two up, followed by Whiting and Rios. It's certainly a little early into camp to declare Savoury and Parachek as the top two tight ends and then having Whiting and Rios behind them, especially with no pads for a little while, but it's perhaps an interesting glimpse into where things stand right now.
Why Savoury, Whiting Stood Out
Savoury and Whiting being in a position for playing time isn't a huge surprise. They were both in the general mix headed into camp, though I was pretty curious just how close Whiting was with his status as a true freshman. Maybe that limits his ceiling for specifically the 2026 season, but the fact that he could crack the two-deep this quickly is a fantastic sign for his future.
Savoury perhaps could've had a bit of a role last year. He got some snaps early on in the season, but it seems like he was shut down after four games earlier in the season in order to preserve his redshirt. The new 5-in-5 rule made that unnecessary, but there wasn't any way to know what would happen at the time.
It's only one catch, but Savoury's reception against Boston College was notable. He used his basketball skill set to nicely high-point a ball, even though the accuracy could've or should've been better, and he then turned around and got some yards after the catch. That's the first (and only) flash of potential Savoury has gotten to show in a game, but it still was impressive.
Neither Savoury nor Whiting, but especially Savoury, looks like a redshirt freshman or true freshman. They look like Big Ten tight ends out there. Savoury's weight at 253 pounds is what one would expect from a ready-to-play tight end. Whiting is listed at 254 pounds, too. Savoury is listed at 6'5" and Whiting is 6'6".
Both of them also have some easy athleticism out there. Plenty of guys that big at that age take a while to reach the mobility needed to play Big Ten football. This is why so many great tight ends have played basketball: a sport where even big and tall guys need some baseline athleticism.
That's more useful in the pass game as a receiver, but if that athletic ability comes with a mean streak as a blocker, then both Savoury and Whiting (who both played hoops in high school) can become every-down tight ends the staff can lean on. Keep in mind that I was watching a drill with no defense and in shorts, but I also like both Savoury's and Whiting's hands as tight ends, as well.
Only taking one tight end out of the portal felt questionable to me this offseason. I've been a bit pessimistic about the tight end room as a whole for a good part of the summer. Still, perhaps the reason tight ends coach Brian Wozniak and Pat Fitzgerald didn't get super aggressive adding at that position is that they liked what they already had kept.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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