Michigan State Adds PWO Commitment from In-State Tight End
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Michigan State has added another member to its 2026 recruiting class.
Tight end Jack Van Prooyen announced on social media that he would be committing to MSU as a preferred walk-on early Saturday afternoon. He is a Grand Rapids native who attends Northview High School.
COMMITTED🟢⚪️ AGTG@CoachWozniakTE @coachfitz51 @SeanLevyMSU @alex_pallone @AllenTrieu @SportsWildcats pic.twitter.com/oPrMkkEGaQ
— Jack Van Prooyen 6’4 235 TE (@VanProoyenJack) January 3, 2026
Van Prooyen chose to walk onto the Spartans' roster over Division I opportunities with Army, Air Force, Bucknell, and Western Illinois. He also had an offer from Ferris State, the reigning Division II national champions.
According to his Twitter page, Van Prooyen had 31 catches for 509 yards and three touchdowns during this most recent high school football season. It also seems that he took on some long snapping duties at Northview as well.
Van Prooyen, listed online at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, will now join a Michigan State tight end room that is certainly on the thinner side at the beginning of the transfer portal window. The Spartans are losing their top two tight ends from 2025, with Jack Velling being out of eligibility and Michael Masunas entering the transfer portal.
There are a few other scholarship tight end additions also part of the 2026 recruiting class. Mansfield, Ohio native Joey Caudill is ranked 485th overall in the class and 27th among tight ends. Sioux Falls, S.D. native Eddie Whiting is No. 1,041 overall and 68th among those who play the position. MSU's class as a whole is ranked 46th nationally and 12th in the Big Ten, according to Rivals.
More on Van Prooyen, MSU
Van Prooyen joins a couple of other preferred walk-ons set to be a part of the Spartans' roster next year. The others are: wide receiver Colin Charles, defensive tackle Jackson Pahl, and linebacker Jack Lansing III.
Michigan State's tight ends room will continue to be coached up by position coach Brian Wozniak, who is one of the handful of people Pat Fitzgerald decided to retain from Jonathan Smith's staff.
Other tight ends on the roster from this season who have remaining eligibility and who haven't entered the portal include Brennan Parachek, Kai Rios, Jayden Savoury, Charlie Baker, and Jaxson Wilson.
MSU also recently made its hiring of offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan official. The rest of the main offensive staff includes running backs coach Devon Spalding, offensive line coach Nick Tabacca, quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian, and wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins. They'll try to turn around an MSU offense that finished 97th in the FBS in total yardage.
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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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