Masunas emerging as a tag-team partner for Velling at tight end for Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich. – After emerging as a pleasant surprise for Michigan State during spring football, sophomore Michael Masunas is poised to earn a significant role in the playing group at tight end with his performance level in training camp.
“Mike looks great,” said junior tight end Jack Velling, an All-Pac 12 performer who set the Oregon State single-season touchdown record for tight ends with eight last season. “In spring ball, we saw him and he looked fantastic. He has taken the next step. He is feeling comfortable with the playbook. He is flying around and looking awesome blocking, catching, whatever it is.”
If the Spartans open their season in a two-tight end set against Florida Atlantic on August 30, which is a good bet given how much Jonathan Smith and his staff used multiple tight ends in their offense at Oregon State, Masunas would likely be in the starting lineup along with Velling.
“Michael has had as solid a camp as anybody offensively,” Michigan State tight ends coach Brian Wozniak said. “He is playing really, really well. He is so steady, so smart. I love what he is doing, particularly in the run game, but he is not a one-trick pony he can do stuff in the pass game.”
Masunas (6-5, 258, R-Soph., Tucson, AZ, Hamilton High) does not possess explosive athleticism, so he is unlikely to stretch the field vertically the way Velling can. He does, however, have good hands and good concentration, giving him the ability to make tough catches against solid coverage.
As such, Masunas has been a source of consternation for Michigan State linebackers.
“Masunas is a great blocker, and he has solid hands,” said veteran defender Darius Snow, who has done his share of covering tight ends given that he is playing outside the box at the Sam linebacker spot. “He will be covered with someone right on him and somehow he will end up catching it. It’s crazy, I don’t know how he does it.”
Masunas has the frame and length that Wozniak covets for the tight end position. And his physicality as a run blocker is a quality that Michigan State wants on the field in an offense where tight ends need to pull their weight in the run-game operation. Masunas also possesses an above average football IQ.
“He is just so solid in everything he does, he just gets it,” Wozniak said. “He gets leverage. He gets coverage. He gets defense. He gets offense. It’s fun when you’ve got a guy like that because then you can speak the 401 class, and not the 101 class,” said Wozniak, who has been impressed with how quickly Masunas has learned offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren’s scheme. “I don’t think this is an easy offense to learn for the tight end, but I do think that it is advantageous to learn for the tight end because probably a little more than half of the NFL is running a similar offense. It takes a minute, but once you understand what we are trying to do with the system, it gets easier.”
Masunas earned his first letter at Michigan State last season, playing in nine games primarily on special teams. He was buried on the depth chart behind Maliq Carr (Houston), Evan Morris (Central Michigan), and then freshman Brennan Parachek. Masunas did, however, manage to get a handful of game reps. In the season finale against Penn State, Masunas played four snaps. He made the most of them, catching his first collegiate pass, a one-yard gain.
When Wozniak began working with Masunas for the first time last spring, he did not know what to expect.
“Masunas surprised the heck out of me last spring, and I don’t mean that I expected less of him,” Wozniak said. “The way he plays it, the way he goes about it, I was really intrigued with him in the spring, and he has continued that.”
With Masunas proving himself trustworthy in his role, Michigan State appears to have another tight end it can count on to execute his assignment beyond Velling whether that task is blocking or receiving. The Spartans have also seen solid growth across the tight end position.
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