Jonathan Smith says we can expect more from a rising freshman TE

Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith says that we should expect more from true freshman tight end Jayden Savoury.

On Monday, Jonathan Smith spoke to the media to recap Boston College and preview Youngstown State. Smith had Sunday to digest the footage, reviewing the Michigan State football win and its overall execution in a 42-40 double-overtime win over Boston College.

One of the players making their collegiate debut in this contest was freshman tight end Jayden Savoury.

Smith was asked about Savoury’s role with the team, as the freshman was only on the field for two snaps against Boston College. They were two highly productive plays, and the freshman graded out with an absurd 92.4 offensive grade on PFF.

While he provided production, with a 16-yard catch on his first collegiate rep, there were questions to be answered. Overall, the freshman is only allowed to play four games before losing his redshirt, and, from an outsider’s perspective, playing two snaps per game seems like a waste of a year of NCAA eligibility.

Smith admitted that the freshman is in multiple packages and wrinkles that were not called during Saturday’s contest against the Eagles. Additionally, the head coach called Savoury’s catch a big-time play, and expressed optimism that there would be more action upcoming for the freshman.

“We got a call sheet, a bunch of plays on there,” Smith said. “Some of those are specific to a group. Jayden (Savoury) was starred on multiple groups in the call sheet, those plays just didn’t get called. It wasn’t like ‘play this guy a couple of snaps, and then turn him down.’ It turned into how many of the particular plays were called for him to be on the field. I was pleased he made a huge catch, that was big time, for his first college rep. We are hoping you see more and more of it.”

Obviously, the hope would be to see more of the freshman.

Currently, Savoury ranks second among the tight ends in receiving yards. The Spartans consistently play upperclassmen Jack Velling and Michael Masunas for over 40 snaps per game. However, the Spartans have also played Brennan Parachek (a starter last year in Masunas’s absence) and Kai Rios for a pair of snaps this year.

However, Savoury’s role is clearly meant to be in a passing situation, as revealed by his position coach, Brian Wozniak, and Smith during prior press conferences.

After a debut that involved a major third-down conversion, the sky is the limit for the Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s product. Make sure to watch out for more of him on Saturday, as the Spartans may rotate more bodies than normal in a matchup against the FCS’s Youngstown State.