2nd-year tight end secures key role

EAST LANSING - By no means does he look like Kellen Davis, but Charlie Gantt will try to fill his shoes.

The 6-foot-4, 252-pound sophomore is MSU's No. 1 tight end, the same spot Davis occupied for the past two years.

But now that the genetically gifted Davis has moved on to the NFL, it's time for the former Birmingham Brother Rice Warrior to step up.

"I don't have Kellen's body, I'm not the physical freak like him, but I learned a lot from him," Gantt said of the now 6-foot-7, 267-pound tight end for the Chicago Bears. "What I am right now is what I learned from him last year."

In the pro-style offense that Michigan State runs under coach Mark Dantonio, the tight end is one of the vital pieces to make the system run effectively.

Last season, Davis became a viable option for quarterback Brian Hoyer, especially on third down and in the red zone. Davis was second on the team with 513 yards receiving and six touchdowns. He was third in receptions with 32.

Timing their moves

MSU tight ends coach Mark Staten credits the work Gantt put in over the summer as the reason he is beginning to shine early in his sophomore season.

"He really took the time this summer to get himself in the best shape he can be in. During the spring practices, (he) showed he could be a good run blocker in our offense," Staten said of Gantt. "Then the work he put in with the quarterbacks during the summer has shown in the camp that he has had."

Gantt is hoping that the chemistry between he and Hoyer that has developed through the spring and into the fall will make the transition from Davis as smooth as possible.

"Over the summer, we'd get together and run routes and work on timing," Gantt said. "That was very important for timing between me and Hoyer."

The extra work seems to be paying dividends. In the first two preseason scrimmages, Gantt caught eight passes for 125 yards and three TDs.

Besides Gantt, redshirt freshmen Garrett Celek and David Duran hope to fill the void left by Eric Andino as backup tight end.

With the running attack that the Spartans hope to employ this season, a second tight end will need to contribute. Staten has been impressed with the work of the two redshirt freshmen throughout camp and sees potential in both players.

"Garrett Celek has shown signs, he's a redshirt freshman, so he is still a little green. As a run blocker he has done some really good things. Routes he continues to improve. He has all the ability, he has everything there," Staten said. "David is a good route runner. Sometimes when he gets jammed up, he'll be a little short in his routes but I am pleased with both of them."

Even though Celek and/or Duran will be asked to play significant minutes right away, the focus will be on Gantt.

Staten is looking forward to even more improvement from Gantt.

"Well, he's got three more years here," Staten said. "When we got here, when I first sat down with Kellen, we had a year together. There (were) so many things that we were only able to scratch the surface with Kellen.

"It's a great thing, I get Charlie for three more (years) so there are so many more pieces to the puzzle that we can put in that we have time to work and have time to do things."

Contact Andrew Mouranie at 377-1070.