One of the many beauties of college football is the change that sweeps over teams. Seniors will graduate, others will leave early for the NFL. This all holds true as well for MSU football team. With so much talent leaving, there are plenty of holes on this roster.
Coupled with the departures, plenty of positions on the offensive side of the ball are looking for replacements or are in a position battle.
On the offensive line they are still striving for some stability and chemistry. At quarterback, nothing is set in stone and running back has been playing in a committee since 2015. The wide receiver position is also taking a huge hit, losing the 2015 Big Ten receiver of the year in Aaron Burbridge.
One area the Spartans are bringing talent back to, though, is at the tight end position. Seniors Josiah Price and Jamal Lyles bring some much-needed stability back to this football team. Combined, the seniors played in 26 games during their junior year last fall.
While both are seniors, many eyes will be on Price to see how he responds to an excellent 2015 season. He was named to third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media because of his on-field performance. His six touchdown receptions in 2015 were also second on the team.
Lyles said he knows there are expectations that come from him being a senior and in his final season.
“I’m one of the older guys on the team and people look up to me, so I have to lead by example every day, show everybody that practice is important,” Lyles said. “We need to keep pushing as a team because everybody looks toward the seniors for advice.”
In MSU’s offensive system, though, it’s hard for one tight end to shine in any big way. Throughout the past three seasons, they juggled playing time between four different guys, Lyles said.
This trend seems to be continuing as well, seeing as there are plenty of guys behind Price and Lyles providing depth. Sophomore Matt Sokol and junior Dylan Chmura are two examples of key players the team can rely on. Coupled with their contributions, Lyles said he looks to make a splash his senior year.
“We have some upcoming guys in Matt Sokol and Dylan Chmura who can get in there, too,” Lyles said. “Me and Josiah’s expectations are very high for our seniors, because we need to make that push toward the next level and take it one day at a time and enjoy our last year together.”
There will be another different kind of transition for the tight ends, however. Price said before, the wide receivers were all experienced guys who knew MSU’s offensive system well. Now, in live-game reps, the younger guys seem to need a little help.
“In the past, it’s always been all the (wide receivers) know where they’re going and where to be,” Price said. “You’ve got to kind of coach the younger guys.”
While it might be tough to adjust, having a Price or Lyles on the team eases some of the pressure off of youngsters, such as true freshman wide receivers Donnie Corley and Cam Chambers.
The depth and experience the tight ends have is also making its mark and being seen by wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel. While he’s working with his own guys, he said he knows the presence of Lyles and Price in the offense makes his job much easier.
“When you’ve got two very good tight ends in our offense that really makes it easy to smoothly transition wide receivers in,” Samuel said. “(The tight ends) make plays, the attention defensively sometimes will be on our tight ends. That’s fine, leave (the wide receivers) alone with cornerbacks out there by themselves. ... That is always a positive when you’ve got other athletes.”
Co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Jim Bollman said he sees the potential this group of tight ends holds. Having the wealth of playing time this group has is only an added bonus.
“We’re lucky that Josiah has all the experience he has through the last three seasons, as well as Jamal,” Bollman said. “And the other guy who is an added factor is Matt Sokol. He’s a guy that has a bright future and it’s now his time to start contributing.”
