This MSU Freshman TE Turning Heads in Spring Ball

Whiting was a three-star recruit from Sioux Falls, S.D., who originally committed to the team while Jonathan Smith was the head coach and stayed on through the transition to Pat Fitzgerald, signing even before Wozniak's retention was official.

He's listed at 6-foot-6 and 249 pounds on the MSU roster already, which is a hefty sum for a true freshman. Whiting is already heavier than last year's starting tight end, Jack Velling, who was 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds.

Fitzgerald Joins Praise

Whiting was one of the players Fitzgerald gave praise to earlier in the week. Fitzgerald wasn't asked specifically about how Whiting has been doing, but rather to highlight some of the guys who have been performing well. He could've gone many different directions with it, but Whiting was one player he chose to single out.

"Eddie's been really good," Fitzgerald said on Tuesday. "He's been a young guy that's been thrown into the fray. He's done a really, really nice job."

Young Guys in TE Room

It certainly seems that Whiting is playing above his station right now. He was ranked 1,079th overall in the class of 2026 on the Rivals Industry Ranking, placing him 74th among tight ends. Whiting was actually the second-best tight end in the class, with Joey Caudill being up at 472nd (in fairness to Caudill, he played quarterback in high school and is basically just now learning the position).

The Spartans need a young guy or two to step up this season from the tight end room to succeed. Losing TE1 Velling (graduation) and TE2 Michael Masunas (transferred to Texas). Adding Ferris State transfer and all-around athlete Carson Gulker makes things interesting, but Gulker is only entering his second season playing tight end.

Brennan Parachek, who redshirted and didn't catch a pass last season, and Kai Rios, who caught one pass in 2025, are the two veterans in the room. That can give Whiting room to step in and potentially play a role right away.

Redshirt freshman Jayden Savoury, who had a nice catch against Boston College last season, is another candidate to step in and make a difference this season.