After suffering an injury during fall camp, Jack Velling was on the mend and missed some time, which he said he utilized to help some of his younger position mates grow and learn.
Velling stepped back and assumed the role of leader in the tight end room while he wasn't out there, and it helped him grow. He realized that he could still help the team while he's not on the field, and that gave him a new perspective on the game.
Now, he's back and ready to lead the way in one of the best tight end rooms in the country, as Michael Masunas called it on Tuesday.
Velling looked a little slow in the opener against Western Michigan, and he wasn't quite on the same page as Aidan Chiles, and many attributed that to him still recovering from his foot injury. He didn't have the same confidence he did a year ago on the field, but in the first real action back after an injury, that's to be expected.
Tight ends coach Brian Wozniak spoke to the media on Tuesday, though, and eased fans' minds who had been panicking about the lack of production from Velling in the opener.
Brian Wozniak: “Jack Velling is right there. He’s really right there.”
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) September 2, 2025
That's a good sign that he's getting close to 100 percent because that's where the team needs him in order to beat Boston College in a rematch of last year's heartbreaking loss on Saturday.
Velling took to the podium, too, and spoke about how he feels "great" and that this was the first time in his career that he missed fall camp. That set him back a little, but we should start seeing him more involved in the offense now that he's getting back to 100 percent.
So for all those who were concerned about Velling's lack of production in the opener, this should ease some minds.