Michigan State Football: 3 players with most to prove this offseason

Jay Johnson has made it very clear that he expects his tight ends to be major pieces to the offensive puzzle. That means that 2020 wasn’t exactly an ideal scenario.

Matt Dotson returned to action but he didn’t look to be full-strength for the entire season. He showed flashes, but his season-ending injury in 2019 looked to be tough to overcome. He could still return for one final season with his eligibility retained in a COVID-19-shortened year but one guy who really needs to prove himself before it’s too late is Trenton Gillison.

Gillison, too, has fought through some nagging injuries throughout his career but when he committed to Michigan State, he was expected to be a star.

If Dotson does leave, that means Gillison will be the longest-tenured tight end on the roster, leading guys like former kicker Tyler Hunt, Tommy Guajardo and Kameron Allen. He needs to be ‘the guy’ moving forward at the position, but he needs to prove he’s a capable blocker.

Through two years, he has just 17 catches for 196 yards. He needs to prove he’s capable of putting up more than that in one year.