Jack Velling injury: Michigan State TE carted off field in 1st quarter vs. Purdue

Michigan State tight end Jack Velling was carted off the field in the first half of Friday’s game against Purdue. He suffered an injury after colliding with a Boilermakers defender.

Velling went to make a catch on a pass from Aidan Chiles when Purdue DB Dillon Thieneman ran into him while trying to make a play. The Oregon State transfer stayed on the ground for several minutes while the training staff tended to him before eventually leaving the field on a cart.

As Velling left the field, he showed a thumbs-up to the crowd. It was a good sign after the injury, which came as Michigan State went down the field and eventually took a 7-3 lead.

Jack Velling is an important part of the Spartans’ passing attack after re-joining Aidan Chiles and head coach Jonathan Smith after a year together at Oregon State. He entered Friday’s game third on the MSU roster with 30 receptions for 323 yards, but was still searching for his first touchdown catch of the year.

Michigan State went into Friday night’s matchup two wins away from bowl eligibility in Year 1 under Smith. The Spartans are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, most recently falling to Illinois on the road a week ago. Chiles has had an up-and-down go through his first full year as a starter, throwing 11 interceptions through 10 games while adding 2,106 yards and 10 touchdowns.

But as the season went along, Chiles started to feel the game slow down a bit. That could set him up for a strong finish to bring some momentum into 2025.

“I’ve been playing football for a while, so I’ve seen a lot,” Chiles said, via SpartanMag’s Jake Lyskawa. “But as a first year starter, there’s just a lot that you see within the game. It’s not just what I learned over the (first) 10 games, it’s just in general, with this team, with this offense, being a starter, it’s just growing with it. There’s a lot of growth that has to be done, not even (from) the first week, but from fall camp to now, spring ball to now. There’s a lot more on your shoulders than you think, but I chose this job. I signed up for what I signed up for.”