Michigan State football: Jack Velling, tight ends look to mesh with new QB Aidan Chiles

EAST LANSING – Aidan Chiles barked out the signals from the shotgun, a critical third down and a hard-charging defense in front of him waiting to attack. He scanned the deep middle of the field quickly.

Tight end Jack Velling released from the line and flared toward the sideline. His quarterback spotted him breaking open into the flat and delivered a pinpoint, in-rhythm toss for a walk-in 10-yard touchdown.

That sent Oregon State’s home crowd into hysterics and helped spark the Beavers to a win over UCLA last season. And it is a scenario Michigan State football fans hope will be on repeat this fall from the new quarterback and his playmakers.

“I think it's gonna be a really explosive offense,” Velling said at Big Ten media days last month. “We're gonna score a lot of touchdowns, we're gonna throw a lot of points on the board. It's gonna be fun to watch. We're gonna run the ball like crazy, and then we're gonna throw it 50 yards over your head.”

And the tight ends, especially Velling, will be critical to both components – setting the edge with blocks in the run game and making catches from Chiles.

Velling last week was named to the watch list for the Mackey Award that goes annually to the nation’s top tight end. The 6-foot-4, 244-pound junior from Seattle arrives after two standout seasons with the Beavers, having worked with new MSU coach Jonathan Smith, offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren and tight ends coach Brian Wozniak there to emerge as a play-making downfield threat.

In 23 games over the past two years, including 18 starts, Velling developed into a major red-zone target as well, with 11 of his 45 catches going for touchdowns. He scored eight last season, which tied for the most among tight ends in the Football Bowl Subdivision, among his 29 receptions for 438 yards to earn second-team All-Pac 12 honors.

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“He's a very savvy kid. 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 understands it. He's a very good feel player.

“Route game, I think what's fun with him is he can win a man, he can win in zone – in particular in zone, because he's so good at feeling the soft spot. And then because he is explosive, it actually helps in the run blocking.”

The old axiom is that a tight end can be a new quarterback’s security blanket, and already having developed that rapport at Oregon State should help both Velling and Chiles. And Velling’s knowledge of Lindgren’s and Smith’s schemes also is an important translation tool for the carryovers in the tight end room.

Wozniak raved about the work of 6-5, 258-pound Michael Masunas, a third-year sophomore who the coach said “has had as solid a camp as anybody offensively” who has emerged as a blocking force, “but he’s not a one-trick pony.” Wozniak pointed to 6-7, 249-pound junior Ademola Faleye as “flashing every day,” and called 6-5, 249-pound sophomore Brennan Parachek “a different animal.”

“This offense asks a lot of the tight ends,” Velling said after practice Monday. “We're asked to pass protect, block and then go beat a safety in the route, so there's a lot of learning to that. For me, I was lucky enough to get thrown into it, so I kind of had to learn quicker than maybe others. But there's for sure a learning process.”

MSU does not return much production at tight end after the transfers of veterans 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 one catch for a yard a year ago. One-time Boise State transfer Tyneil Hopper, working his way back from a major right leg injury he suffered against Washington last season, also is 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 as he backed up veteran DJ Uiagalelei during the Beavers’ 8-5 season. It was an impressive baptism into college football, with the dual-threat Chiles completing 24 of 35 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns, adding 17 carries for 79 yards and three touchdowns.

Though 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 one target in his college debut against San Jose State, Chiles’ other connection to Velling was an 8-yard pass against Stanford late in the season before both eventually entered the portal in the winter and followed their coaching staff to MSU.

After the Spartans’ first scrimmage of preseason camp Saturday, Smith said the offense put together some long drives “but did not finish in the end zone.” That is where the tight ends will be needed most.

Oregon State led the nation last season with a 97.6% red-zone success rate, scoring on 41 of 42 visits – 19 rushing touchdowns, 14 passing TDs and eight field goal. MSU a year ago 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 this is an easy offense to learn for the tight end,” Wozniak said. “But I do think it's advantageous to learn for the tight end, because there's probably a little bit more (than) half of the NFL running a similar offense. So it's gonna set you up nicely. It takes a minute. But once you understand what we're trying to do with the system, it gets easier.”

Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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For openers: Owls

Matchup: Michigan State (4-8 in 2023) vs. Florida Atlantic (4-8 in 2023).

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Aug. 30; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.

TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).