Three games into the 2025 season, Michigan State fans are still unsure of what to think of their team. The Spartans are 3-0 with a win over Boston College, but the Eagles' Week 3 loss to Stanford, coupled with Michigan State's shaky win over Youngstown State, has fans concerned.
There are areas of non-concern regarding the Spartans, however.
One of those areas is the tight end position. Jack Velling is one of the best tight ends in the Big Ten, but he's been outperformed, so far, by sophomore Michael Masunas.
The redshirt sophomore tight end from Arizona had just five catches for 38 yards in his first two seasons in East Lansing, but he's already surpassed that in 2025. He has six catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns through three games, and he looks like one of the biggest surprises on the team.
Masunas is actually getting some love on the national stage, ranked as the No. 9 tight end in the country through three weeks, according to PFSN.
Our @PFSNcollege highest-graded TEs:
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 16, 2025
1) Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma - 88.7
2) Josh Kattus, Kentucky - 88.3
3) Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech - 87.3
4) Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt - 87.1
5) Tanner Koziol, Houston - 86.8
6) Lance Mason, Wisconsin - 86.7
7) Dan Villari, Syracuse - 85.7
8)… pic.twitter.com/9AHaOfsXX2
These grades take into account the receiving stats for these tight ends as well as how effective they are as blockers. This isn't just a stats-based grade. And Masunas is proving that he's one of the better all-around tight ends in the country so far.
Will he keep this up? If he does, he'll be a legit All-Big Ten candidate. He's on pace for 24 receptions for 324 yards and eight touchdowns which would be a heck of a season for the backup tight end.
Just imagine how good this offense will be when he and Velling are both playing to their potential at the same time, like they did against Youngstown State. Scary.