Michigan State tight ends coach Brian Wozniak joined head coach Jonathan Smith when he decided to depart from Oregon State and make the trip east to East Lansing to try and revitalize a program that was in dire need of it. Long before joining Smith for the trip east in December 2023, Wozniak had become familiar with the Midwest, particularly the Big Ten and the level of hard work and talent it takes to be successful in it.

Wozniak is an Ohio native and was initially recruited out of high school by former MSU head coach Mark Dantonio before committing and playing his college career at Wisconsin.

“This was one of my first recruiting visits in the recruiting process," Wozniak said. "I remember being called into Coach Dantonio’s office, and I was all excited. They ended up taking Deion Sims, who ended up being a pretty good tight end for you guys, so I don’t blame them on that.”

The former Badgers tight end also mentioned that he “tries to forget” when he thinks about playing the Spartans. Despite winning three Big Ten titles during his tenure in Madison, Wozniak held a losing record against the Spartans in his time as a player.

"They're so painful," Wozniak said of the memories of his games against MSU. “They’re one of the teams I remember we had a losing record against in my time. The one year (2011), Michigan State won on that Hail Mary, right? That was a killer. Those were battles though. Those were Big Ten games. That’s what it’s all about.”

One of the big reasons for the success of those Spartans teams in the early to mid-2010s was the contribution of both Michigan and Ohio recruits. Some of those names include William Gholston (Detroit), B.J. Cunnigham (Westerville, Ohio), Kirk Cousins (Holland, Michigan), and Le’Veon Bell (Columbus, Ohio) among others. Wozniak recognizes the importance of getting back to a blue-collar, midwest-esque roster.

“Obviously you can’t take everyone out of Michigan, and you can’t take everyone out of Ohio, or the surrounding areas, but we want to be aggressive in those areas," Wozniak explained. "So it’s been fun diving into it and looking at it, showing them what this place can do. I think it’s been good painting these Midwest states in green a little bit, and letting those guys know: ‘hey, we’re here'."

There was plenty of talent in the tight end room prior to Wozniak arriving, and he mentioned that his group overall has been a “pleasant surprise” in his short time thus far.

“Starting with Michael (Masunas), I didn't know," Wozniak said. "Didn’t have a ton of tape on him. He battled some tough injuries in his time early on, and really, the kid hasn't missed a step. He’s smart, he’s into it. Football IQ, you’re kind of speaking his language.

"Just going down the list: Mola (Ademola Faleye), just building him up, he looks different. I mean, the guy is 252 pounds right now and he can still move. Jack (Nickel), has been getting in there, getting physical, and obviously having (Jack) Velling, for the last two years you kind of know what you’re going to get."

Tight ends often act as a ‘security blanket’ for quarterbacks. Having Velling, who quarterback Aidan Chiles has prior experience with, will be valuable this coming season. However, Wozniak spoke more of the experience that Velling brings as a leader.

“I think the coolest thing about Velling is how he is as a teammate," Wozniak lauded of Velling. "He’s always going to be that approachable teammate whether it’s a tackle, a receiver, or a QB.”

Wozniak thinks that leading by example is how the tight ends can help the most.

“We talk about this all the time in the tight end room: ‘we are their security blanket,’ that’s our goal in the passing game," Wozniak said. "And what that means is the details in our game. Once they see us fighting and clawing at the details in our game, we hope it kind of expands out.”

For many coaches, the coach to player connection may be one of the most important aspects of the job, and to Wozniak, that is no different. He spoke more about Velling, and how their connection was important enough for Velling, a Seattle native, to join Wozniak in East Lansing.

“I told him, we’re coming out here to get work, we’re coming out here to get better, we’re coming out here to improve not only individually, but as a team," Wozniak said of his sales pitch to Velling. "And again, that’s the kind of guy that can buy into that stuff, and makes it easy for you.”

Last Saturday, Michigan State held its first scrimmage of the season, and Wozniak, without hesitation, said: “We’ve got to be better.”

“I think that’s the great thing about the first scrimmage," Wozniak elaborated. "We’ve got to be better. Obviously ball security pops up for us, the first time being tackled, all that stuff. And I think, too, live reps and what happens to those details when you’re rolling, you can’t lose the details now just because all of a sudden things are live. And there’s some positive things in there. We’re not going to dwell on the negatives, but you add those two things up, there’s plenty to get better at.”

This fall will mark the first football season in the Big Ten that features new member schools USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, all schools Wozniak became familiar with during his time in Corvallis, Oregon at OSU.

"There’s going to be so much adjustment all across the board, those schools and traveling here, those schools and some weather here, us and the weather out there," Wozniak said. "You go out to USC, it’s going to be a different temperature in East Lansing. So I think there's a lot of those little adjustments that people aren’t talking about as much."

The differences extend to the gridiron as well as the geography.

Wozniak made clear the differences extend to the gridiron in addition to the geography.

"The front seven in the ‘regular’ Big Ten are bigger, stronger, and out there (West), those quarterbacks, the pass game out there, there’s seven, eight guys out there that make you go ‘here we go, here’s another quarterback,’" Wozniak said.

This Saturday, the Spartans will host the "Spring Showcase" at 2:30 p.m. at Spartan Stadium, offering fans a chance to see the beginnings of the new coaching regime. Admission is free.

A native of Loveland, Ohio in the Cincinnati suburbs, Wozniak played both linebacker and tight end at Loveland High School. He spent his college playing career at Wisconsin, joining the program in 2009. The former Badger won three Big Ten titles, including a victory in the 2011 Big Ten Championship versus the Spartans. As a senior, Wozniak was named a team captain, and following his time in Madison, signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.

Joining Oregon State as a graduate assistant in 2015, Wozniak eventually became tight ends coach when Smith was hired in 2018. At Oregon State, Wozniak coached NFL caliber tight ends. Teagan Quitoriano was the first NFL draft pick Wozniak produced. Quitoriano was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. Additionally, Wozniak coached Luke Musgrave, a standout tight end for the Green Bay Packers, who was selected by them in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

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