GOBLES, MI – Tyler Hunt never had a blueprint for how to become a Big Ten football player.
Growing up in the Southwest Michigan town of Gobles and its population of around 800 residents, he rarely came across anyone who sniffed the game at the Division-I level, so it was important for the Michigan State tight end to find a way to help the next generation of football players from his hometown.
Thus, the Iron Tiger Youth Football Camp was born.
The camp, created by Hunt, takes place 3-6 p.m. Saturday at Gobles High School and is open to kids in grades 1-7 from Gobles and beyond.
Cost of attendance is $30, and payments can be made the day of the event or in advance by using the Venmo code @Tyler-Hunt-33. Those who pay via Venmo are encouraged to include the camper’s name and position in the memo area.
“When I was growing up, there weren’t a lot of opportunities like that in the Gobles area, and not a lot of people would come back and give their time and effort to kids growing up, so that’s something I wanted to do with the platform I have – create opportunities for kids to get out there, have some fun, play some football and see someone that’s made it out of their town giving back to them,” Hunt said.
Joining the class of 2017 Gobles graduate as the camp’s coaches will be Michigan State junior tight end/kicker Evan Morris and Spartan junior tight end Jackson Morse.
The three coaches have 10 years of combined experience on MSU’s roster and will take the campers through group and individual drills, offering techniques for blocking, route running and passing, in addition to holding a 7-on-7 scrimmage, a punt, pass and kick challenge and an obstacle course competition.
“Obviously, they’re going to learn some techniques and stuff that I didn’t get taught when I was growing up, but outside of that, just giving them role models to look up to,” Hunt said of what he hopes the campers get out of the experience. “I grew up with a lot of people that didn’t have very good role models in their lives, so that’s one of the big things I want them to take away from this is knowing that there are people out there that have made it out of this town that are willing to give back, and if I can be a role model in their life, maybe when they get older, they’ll come back and be a role model in another kid’s life.”
An autograph and photo session will take place at the camp’s conclusion, and it’s that type of interaction with the young athletes that Hunt said he’s looking forward to most.
“Gobles had an assembly last week, and I spoke to some of the kids there, and all of them coming up for autographs and then sending me pictures of them using that autograph as a bookmark or something like that, it’s really special,” Hunt said. “Just being able to give them memories or interact with them in a small way that they can carry with them for a long time to come is pretty cool.”
A four-year starting quarterback for Gobles’ varsity football team, Hunt has been a prominent athlete in the Van Buren County community for close to a decade, but his rise at MSU wasn’t as simple.
Hunt enrolled at MSU as a student and received his first look from the football staff during open tryouts, where he impressed enough to earn an opportunity as a walk-on kicker and punter.
After redshirting the 2017 season, he started five games as the Spartans’ punter in 2018, including a memorable performance against Michigan, in which he averaged 41.5 yards per punt on 11 attempts and made a one-handed snag of an errant snap, before booming a 60-yarder from deep in MSU territory.
With starting punter Jake Hartbarger returning from injury in 2019, Hunt took on a new role as the team’s holder, then made the unconventional switch from specialist to tight end for the 2020 season and ranked second at his position group with eight catches for 78 yards during the pandemic-shortened campaign. He also found the end zone for the first time in his college career on a 1-yard jet sweep carry during a 49-7 loss to Iowa that year.
As a fifth-year senior in 2021, Hunt started four games and collected 136 yards and a touchdown on 14 catches for a Michigan State team that finished 11-2 and ranked ninth in the final Associated Press poll.
“I think we’re all pretty proud of what we accomplished last year,” Hunt said. “We weren’t expected to do any of that. We were expected to be one of the worst teams in all of college football, and we ended up winning the Peach Bowl, so moving forward into next year, our goal isn’t just to be in the Peach Bowl anymore, it’s to win a Big Ten championship and compete for a national championship, and I think that’s everybody’s mindset – the coaching staff, training staff, academic staff, players – all of our goals and our mindset is to be the best in every aspect on and off the field.”
After missing MSU’s final two games of the 2021 campaign with an injury, Hunt was wearing a red non-contact jersey at the team’s final spring practice open to the public, but the veteran tight end said he’ll be ready to go this year at a position group that includes Purdue transfer Maliq Carr and Illinois transfer Daniel Barker, along with Morse and Morris.
“I played a lot last year, and I think this year, I’ll be playing still, getting more involved in the pass game and the run game,” Hunt said. “I’m hoping to make it on a few other special teams, and I think I can help out there.
“Also, just stepping up in a leadership role for the team and being able to be more vocal. I’m not the most vocal guy, so being able to grow more there and having a change to be an actual vocal leader on the team is something I need to step up next year.”
Also on MLive.com
Presenting Gobles’ 5 greatest athletes since 2000
Inside Tyler Hunt’s improbable path from walk-on kicker to starting tight end at Michigan State
Michigan State’s Payton Thorne and Tyler Hunt use old skills in new way
Despite loss of Connor Heyward and portal departures, Michigan State has solid outlook at TE
Michigan OL Karsen Barnhart brings football, fun back to Paw Paw
Ad Choices