Transfer portal tight end Tyneil Hopper commits to Michigan State
Michigan State is keeping themselves red hot on the recruiting trail picking up a commitment from transfer portal tight end Tyneil Hopper. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound tight end will come from Boise State where he spent the previous four seasons. He will have one year of eligibility at Michigan State under tight ends coach Ted Gilmore.
Hopper quietly tripped to East Lansing for a visit, and announced his commitment plans via social media on Dec. 15.
In 2022, as a redshirt-senior for the 9-4 Broncos, Hopper had 13 catches for 108 yards, ranking No. 2 on the team among tight ends, behind senior Riley Smith.
Hopper, originally from Roswell, Ga., led Boise State’s tight ends in receiving yards in 2021 as a redshirt junior with 132 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. During his junior season, Hopper hauled in a 51-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against Colorado State, the longest by a Boise State tight end since 2001 (Jeb Putizer).
During the COVID-shortened season of 2020, he started the last four games of the season as a redshirt sophomore.
Hopper was a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and a three-star recruit by ESPN in the class of 2017.
ESPN ranked him the No. 11 tight end in the nation. Rivals.com ranked him No. 19 at his position.
At 6-foot-2, Hopper shows the capability to block as well as having some versatility in the receiving game. He also gives Michigan State a mature, experienced body at the position, which will help with the Spartans graduating Daniel Barker and Tyler Hunt while bringing along a host of younger tight ends.
His older brother, Tyrone Hopper, is a redshirt senior defensive end for Missouri. He also has a younger brother, Tyjai Hopper, rising as a class of 2024 recruit. Tyjai is currently unranked, but holds offers from Missouri, Colorado, Boise State, Mississippi, Purdue, and more.
Michigan State has also picked up commitments from preferred walk-on tight ends, Jaylan Franklin, coming from Wisconsin, and Ademola Faleye, coming from Norfolk State, already this December. Michigan State also has a high school four-star tight end Brennan Parachek in the 2023 class.
The Spartans will look to this cast to help replace the departures of scholarship tight ends Daniel Barker (21 receptions in 2022) and Tyler Hunt (15 receptions in 2022). Walk on tight end Powers Warren will also graduate this offseason.
Hopper played 416 snaps in 2022. He graded out at 72.9 in pass blocking, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked No. 4 on the team for players who played more than 100 snaps.
In 2022, Hopper played 43 snaps of pass protection and allowed only one pressure, with an efficiency of 98.8. That’s similar to MSU’s tight ends in 2022.
In pass protection, Carr was MSU’s best tight end in 2022, with two pressures in 20 chances (95.0 efficiency), which somehow merited a grade of just 52.6.
Barker allowed one pressure in 18 chances (97.2 efficiency with a 46.2 grade).
Hunt allowed 4 pressures in 34 chances (92.6 efficiency, 38.3 grade).
In run blocking, Hopper graded out at 54.2. In terms of familiar comparison, Barker led Michigan State tight ends in run blocking grades, according to PFF, at 62.1.
Hunt had a run blocking grade of 55.7 and Maliq Carr was 54.1, according to PFF.
