Why TE Michael Masunas is One of MSU's Biggest Portal Losses Yet
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The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away.
Michigan State football suffered one of its biggest losses of the cycle on Saturday when tight end Michael Masunas announced that he would be transferring away from the school he spent four years at.
Masunas is one of 19 players who have already announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal, which officially opens on Friday, Jan. 2, and remains open for two weeks. He is one of the departing players that MSU will miss the most, given the current roster situation.
On this episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, let's break down what Masunas' intention to leave East Lansing means for Michigan State, more specifically, the tight end room. A video of the entire episode can be viewed below, as is some more written analysis.
Watch the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast here:
Written Analysis
Changed Outlook of Tight End Room
Masunas would have been a critical part of Michigan State's offense if he returned. He was the Spartans' second tight end this past season, but TE1 Jack Velling is out of eligibility. The natural order of things would have meant a larger role for Masunas in 2026.
He already ranked fifth on the team in receiving yards this season, with 232 yards to go with 19 catches and three touchdowns. Seeing somebody think that Masunas was as good or even better than Velling was not that uncommon, especially during the earlier parts of the season.
Now, with both Velling and Masunas out, Michigan State is down its top two tight ends, making it a huge positional need in the transfer portal. That accounts for 97.2% of the receiving yards by Spartan tight ends this past season.
That's all by 17 yards. True freshman Jayden Savoury redshirted this year, but had a 16-yard catch against Boston College. Redshirt junior and Indiana State transfer Kai Rios had a one-yard touchdown reception against Maryland.
MSU also has Brennan Parachek still on the roster, who took a redshirt and didn't record a catch in 2025, but still has 14 career catches and 118 receiving yards. Other rostered tight ends are: redshirt sophomore Jaxson Wilson, redshirt freshman Charlie Baker, and redshirt freshman Wyatt Hook.
The Spartans are also bringing in two tight ends for next season as part of their 2026 class. Mansfield, Ohio, native Joey Caudill is ranked 485th overall on the Rivals Industry Ranking. Sioux Falls, S.D., native Eddie Whiting is 1,041st overall.
More on Returning TEs
Part of what makes Masunas' announcement a surprise beyond his anticipated role in 2026 is that he'd be getting tight ends coach Brian Wozniak back. Wozniak followed Jonathan Smith to MSU from Oregon State, but Pat Fitzgerald is retaining him on the staff.
Again, the losses of Velling and Masunas make a portal addition or two seem likely for the Spartans, but let's look at what the current situation is anyway:
Parachek might be the top tight end on the roster right now, given that he's the only one who has real experience at this level. He appeared in games 2-5 this year, before not appearing the rest of the way and getting to redshirt. Parachek had been listed as "out" on the team's weekly availability reports, implying an injury, but he was named as a Scout Team Player of the Week before the Iowa game, which showed that he was still practicing.
Savoury is one young player with some real promise. His catch against Boston College was impressive, and he'll still have all four years of his eligibility to continue his development. Savoury was ranked 897th overall in the class of 2025, according to the 247Sports Composite, which slotted him 43rd among tight ends and 14th among players from Michigan.
Outlook for Masunas
It'll be interesting to see where Masunas ends up. He's from Tucson, Ariz., so being too far away from home doesn't appear to be too big an issue for him, given his four seasons at MSU. He'll have two years of eligibility remaining, which should help his value in the portal as an experienced tight end.
It seems like a lateral move would be the most likely resolution for Masunas. His hands and willingness to block should be more than enough for several different Power Four programs to give him a look. Maybe Masunas does crave a return to a school closer to home after having graduated from Michigan State, but he'll have options around the country.
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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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