After sitting out his freshman season at MSU for academic ineligibility, "Tarzan" will be suiting up as a wide receiver for the Spartans this fall.

"Tarzan" is just a description for sophomore wide receiver Matt Trannon. His 6-foot-6, 228-pound frame and freakish athletic ability earned him the name from football head coach John L. Smith.

Trannon hasn't played a game yet, but he's already drawing comparisons to former MSU standout past-catchers Plaxico Burress and Charles Rogers. Bad marks kept him sidelined last season and distanced from the troubles that hounded the Spartans last year, on and off the field.

"Sitting out last season was a good experience for me," Trannon said. "But I can't wait to play in that first game, I'm anxious."

Though Trannon hasn't officially been tabbed as a starter in John L. Smith's new spread offense, coaches and players have been impressed with the sizable sophomore.

"I'm ready to help the team out," Trannon said. "But everybody will be carrying the weight."

Smith says he is looking for some contribution from Trannon, but knows there is a learning curve associated with him.

"It's going to take him a little while, because he's been away from football for a year," Smith said. "We have great expectations for that kid. He's going to be something. It's just going to be our job and his to get him to where he's got it all down mentally. Because he definitely has the physical tools."

Trannon said the new offense isn't hard, but "there is a lot coming at us all at once."

Supplying the ball to Trannon this season could be redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Stanton, who took notice of the Flint-native's size and potential when the two first met.

"He's huge," Stanton said. "He's going to get open a lot."

While Trannon won't have trouble attracting attention wherever he goes, perhaps the hardest adjustment will be playing competitive football again. Trannon hasn't played since high school two years ago, in which he stared at Flint Northern High School, the alma mater of former Spartan All-Americans Robaire Smith and Mateen Cleaves.

In high school, Trannon was ranked among the nation's top wide receivers by Rivals100.com and earned All-State honors in both basketball and track.

Although he sat out, Trannon stayed involved with the team and picked the brain of Rogers, the 2002 Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top wide receiver.

"I spoke with (Rogers) a lot and he told me to stay humble and stay focused," Trannon said.

Which could be tough, according to some praise he's getting from teammates.

Sophomore Kyle Brown, a fellow wide receiver, said though Trannon didn't practice in the spring, he looks real good so far and can still improve.

"He's adjusting because this is new to him," Brown said. "He can't wait to play, he's excited. He's a big target like Plaxico was, but he can be better than him."

Junior tight end Jason Randall agreed, but was a bit more cautious.

"He can be the No. 1 guy," Knott said. "But he's young, he doesn't have much experience. He needs to develop, right now he's very explosive and is going to be a big play, long ball guy."

But unlike the beasts of the jungle, the only things Trannon will have to fight off are Big Ten secondaries and beaming expectations for someone yet to officially catch a ball.