Michigan State's Josiah Price An Outside Mackey Award Candidate

The Big Ten doesn’t have many outstanding tight ends.

It lost an incredibly talented one after last season with Minnesota’s Maxx Williams declaring for the NFL Draft. But there are some up-and-coming tight ends who are in a position to make an impact on their respective offenses. Names like Penn State’s Jesse James, Iowa’s Jake Duzey and Ohio State’s Nick Vannett come to mind, but all of those teams have at least one returning big-time receiver on offense.

There is one team in the conference that lost multiple weapons on the offensive side of the ball, and will potentially need its tight end to become the primary threat, and that’s Michigan State and Josiah Price.

In 2014, the Spartans generated 6,510 yards of total offense and 74 touchdowns, both good enough for second in the conference behind Ohio State. Jeremy Langford, Keith Mumphery, Nick Hill and Tony Lippett were responsible for 59 percent of the yardage (3,837) and 61 percent of the touchdowns (45) last year. None of them return this season. Fortunately for Michigan State, it returns quarterback Connor Cook. But without the talent of skill positions around him, Cook has his work cut out for him. That is why Price is so important.

Price put up respectable numbers last year, catching 26 passes for 374 yards and six touchdowns. Don’t be surprised if he cracks 500 yards receiving and catches 10 touchdowns this season. For the Michigan State offense to be successful, he’ll need to get open early and often for Cook.

He’s an agile tight end with great hands, and has the ability to sneak behind defenses and get open downfield. The Spartans do have Aaron Burbridge, Macgarrett Kings Jr. and R.J. Shelton returning to the wide receiver position, but until one of them emerges as a go-to receiver like Lippett, Price may need to be the primary option for Cook.

The Mackey Award has never been won by a tight end in the green and white. The last Big Ten tight end to win it was Minnesota’s Matt Spaeth in 2006. If Price can establish himself as a legitimate downfield threat, the Mackey could be one of many awards coming to East Lansing in 2015.

Brooks Hooley is a Junior Big Ten Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @brookshooley.