Jack Velling joined the Michigan State football program shortly after his head coach at Oregon State bolted for East Lansing back in the offseason following the 2023 season.
He came to Michigan State with plenty of hope that he would become the next great tight end to suit up for the Spartans, and expectations of an All-Big Ten and All-American-caliber first season at his new program. That, unfortunately, was not the case as he got off to a slow start, only to finish with 411 yards and a touchdown on a career-best 36 receptions.
Velling's yards were down from his breakout sophomore season and his touchdowns dipped by a whopping seven (!!), but yet he put his head down, worked hard, and opted to return in 2025.
After suffering a foot injury during fall camp, it was rumored that Velling would miss some time, but he suited up for the opener against Western Michigan, looked a little uncomfortable out there, and finished with just a single catch for three years.
Following the game, tight ends coach Brian Wozniak told the media that Velling is really "right there" in terms of his recovery. So surely he'd break out against Boston College, right?
Wrong.
Velling was held catch-less in a double-overtime win over the Eagles. Through two games, he had just one catch for three yards, and he was out-performed by backup tight ends Michael Masunas and Jayden Savoury. Everyone was starting to give up on Velling.
Then he finally had himself a game against Youngstown State. Sure, it was a lesser FCS opponent, so having a big game against the Penguins wasn't all that special, but it did show Michigan State fans one thing: a healthy Jack Velling is a problem for defenses.
In the first two games, he was a step slow and just didn't look healthy. He was missing assignments and almost looked like he was playing in slow motion.
Against Youngstown, he looked like his old self from 2023. He caught six passes for 70 yards and probably should have been rewarded with a touchdown, but that'll come. Velling got his confidence, and health, back at the perfect time with USC awaiting a matchup in Week 4.
Although it was "just Youngstown State", Velling's performance should have fans buying back in because when he's healthy, he's one of the best tight ends in the country.
Now it's time to build on that Week 3 performance.