EAST LANSING – Aidan Chiles barked the shotgun signals, a critical third down and a strong defense in front of him waiting to pounce. He quickly scanned the middle of the field.
Tight end Jack Velling broke free of the line and sprinted toward the sideline. His quarterback saw him breaking into the flat and made a precise, rhythmic throw for a 10-yard touchdown.
It sent the Oregon State crowd into hysterics and helped lead the Beavers to victory over UCLA last season. And it’s a scenario Michigan State Football fans hope it happens again this fall with the new quarterback and his playmakers.
“I think it’s going to be a really explosive offense,” Velling said at Big Ten media days last month. “We’re going to score a lot of touchdowns, we’re going to throw a lot of points on the board. It’ll be fun to watch. We’re going to run the ball like crazy and then throw it 50 meters above your head.”
And the tight ends, especially Velling, will be critical to both components – establishing the lead with blocks in the run game and making Chiles’ catches.
Velling was named last week to the Mackey Award watch list, which goes annually to the nation’s top tight end. The 6-foot-2, 244-pound junior from Seattle arrives after two standout seasons with the Beavers, having worked with new MSU head coach Jonathan Smith, offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren and tight ends coach Brian Wozniak to emerge as a field player. threat.
In 23 games over the past two years, including 18 starts, Velling has also become a key red zone target, with 11 of his 45 receptions going for touchdowns. He scored eight points last season, which tied for the most among Football Bowl Subdivision tight ends, among his 29 receptions for 438 yards to earn second-team All-Pac 12 honors.
MORE MSU FOOTBALL: Jonathan Smith sees the Spartans on the right track, with work still needed
“He is a very smart boy. You tell him something once and he does it,” Wozniak said Monday. “He doesn’t need the whole, ‘Unless you get this, unless you get this, unless you get this,’ he just gets it. He is a very good player.
“Route play, I think what’s fun for him is he can beat a man, he can beat the zone – especially the zone, because he’s really good at feeling the weak point. And then because he’s explosive, it actually helps with run blocking.”
The old axiom is that a tight end can be a new quarterback’s security blanket, and having already developed that relationship at Oregon State should help both Velling and Chiles. And Velling’s knowledge of Lindgren and Smith’s schemes is also an important translational tool for transfers in the restricted room.
Wozniak praised the work of 6-5, 258-pound Michael Masunas, a third-year sophomore who the coach said “had as solid a camp as anyone offensively” who has emerged as a blocking force, “but he’s not a -trick pony.” Wozniak singled out 6-7, 249-pound junior Ademola Faleye as “blinking every day” and called 6-5, 249-pound sophomore Brennan Parachek “a different animal.”
“This offense demands a lot from tight ends,” Velling said after Monday’s practice. “We’re asked to pass, protect, block and then pass a safety on the route, so there’s a lot of learning there. For me, I was lucky to be involved in this, so I had to learn faster than others. But there is definitely a learning process.”
MSU doesn’t return much production at tight end following the transfers of seniors Maliq Carr and Evan Morris following the coaching change, along with the graduation loss of Jaylan Franklin. Paracheck had six catches for 55 yards and Masunas had one catch for one yard a year ago. Former Boise State transfer Tyneil Hopper, recovering from a serious right leg injury he suffered against Washington last season, is also back for his seventh collegiate season. The Spartans also lost Jack Nickel to transfer.
Chiles’ work as a true freshman was limited to 91 snaps last fall, when he backed up veteran DJ Uiagalelei during the Beavers’ 8-5 season. It was an impressive baptism into college football, as the dual-threat Chiles completed 24 of 35 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns, adding 17 carries for 79 yards and three touchdowns.
Although they worked together extensively in practice last season at Oregon State, that touchdown in a 36-24 win over the Bruins on Oct. 14, 2023, was one of just two completions on three targets from Chiles to Velling. After missing the only field goal in his college debut against San Jose State, Chiles’ other connection with Velling was an 8-yard pass against Stanford later in the season, before they both finally entered the portal in the winter and followed their team. technique for MSU.
After the Spartans’ first game of preseason camp on Saturday, Smith said the offense made some long drives “but didn’t end up in the end zone.” This is where tight ends will be most needed.
Oregon State led the nation last season with a 97.6% success rate in the red zone, scoring on 41 of 42 visits — 19 rushing touchdowns, 14 passing TDs and eight field goals. A year ago, MSU made just 25 trips to the red zone, reaching the end zone 16 times and settling for six field goals for an 88% success rate. The Spartans ranked 128th out of 130 FBS schools in scoring last season (15.9 points).
“I don’t think it’s an easy offense for the tight end to learn,” Wozniak said. “But I think it’s advantageous to learn for tight end, because there’s probably a little more (than) half the NFL running a similar offense. So this will make you feel good. It takes a minute. But once you understand what we’re trying to do with the system, it becomes easier.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @crissolari.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new weekly episodes at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And watch all our podcasts and daily voice briefings at freep.com/podcasts.
To open: Owls
Comparison: Michigan State (4-8 in 2023) vs. Michigan State (4-8 in 2023) Florida Atlantic (4-8 in 2023).
Start: 7pm on August 30th; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football: Tight ends appear to fit QB Aidan Chiles
