Tyler Hunt liked being a punter, but he wanted more.
"I think tight end would be a better fit for me," Hunt, a redshirt junior on the Michigan State football team said. "It matches my mindset more I think, my personality. I like to be in the action and I think kicking and punting took me out of the action a little bit."
Hunt's position switch goes well beyond the idea that the Gobles High School graduate had during quarantine last spring.
He quarterbacked the Tigers to three straght playoff appearances from 2014 to 2016.
"I was on the varsity team for four years," Hunt said. "So being a captain for three of those, I think it really prepared me for my role now at Michigan State."
He had offers to punt and play safety in the GLIAC but chose to attend Michigan State as a student before emailing the coaching staff staffa bout a chance to play football.
"I think the word they used was street walk-on," Hunt said referring to his tryout with the Spartans in the fall of 2017. "Someone they just don't know about and show up."
Hunt made the team and by his second year was thrown into a role as the team's punter after the starter was injured.
Hunt would tear his ACL later that season, he once again leaned on his experience as a prep star at Gobles.
"Just a lot of adversity comes with it having a leadership role all the time so I think I am pretty well equipped to handle anything that comes my way as far as a football standpoint," Hunt said. "Just having a great mindset, my coaches in high school definitely prepared me well for that."
First year Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker said: "On a scale from one to ten of caring and if one is you don't care very much and ten it is very important to you and you care a whole bunch, he's a ten!"
Hunt's desire has shown in his new role at tight end.
He is fifth on the team in receptions and he also has the team's first rushing touchdown of the season.
"I think it has been shown that no matter what my role is on the team," Hunt said. "Whether it's scout kickoff just kicking the ball to returners, scout offense or starting at tight end my mentality is to attack everyday and show what a guy from a small town can do."
