Michigan State's Jack Velling, Michael Masunas ranked No. 1 TE duo in the Big Ten

In the midst of the dreaded "rankings season" portion of the offseason, Michigan State football hasn't exactly been praised by media members far and wide.

The Spartans are fresh off their third bowl-less season in a row and Jonathan Smith has been trying to get his 2026 recruiting class into the top 60 nationally (not a typo). It feels like the program is desperate for some good headlines or any sort of hype heading into the 2025 season but the ranking lists haven't been kind to the Spartans.

That is until Tony Liebert changed that this week.

Liebert released some rankings of his own. He ranked every Big Ten tight end duo heading into the season in tiers and Michigan State's representatives came in at No. 1.

Brian Wozniak is smiling somewhere.

Is this a controversial ranking? I don't think so. Jack Velling was considered one of the top tight ends in the Big Ten last season even though he struggled to assimilate to his new home early in the season and he's the top returner at the position in the conference.

What I am most surprised by is the fact that he included Michael Masunas as the duo partner instead of rising second-year tight end Brennan Parachek. Both of these guys are projected to have pro potential, but Parachek was the higher rated of the two coming out of high school. I do believe the Spartans have one of the best tight end trios in the country.

Having the best tight end duo in the Big Ten will be huge for Aidan Chiles as he gets more comfortable running the offense. He'll have some elite safety valves in 2025.