Over the offseason, if there was any tight end who stepped up to put himself on track to be a starter, it was rising sophomore Nate Roberts. Tight ends coach Keenan Bailey made that much clear when he sent Roberts out with the other first-teamers to start spring.
Bailey attributed that decision to Roberts’ work ethic in the spring, but according to head coach Ryan Day, Roberts isn’t the only one in the room making progress.
When asked which players on the offensive side of the ball have impressed through the first half of the spring, Day talked about his tight end room.
“Bringing in Mason Williams and Hunter at tight end with Nate, they’re not perfect at all, but they’re grinding at it, and they’re working at it,” Day said. “And I think, those guys at tight end have shown up, especially in the pass game, just seeing them make a lot more plays maybe, than we’ve seen in the past. That has been a bright spot.”
Unlike Roberts, Welcing and Williams were not necessarily highly-touted prospects coming out of high school. Welcing started his collegiate career at Northwestern, and it took him several years to make an impact for the Wildcats. However, Welcing had a breakout season in 2025, totalling 296 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 28 catches.
Although he didn’t play at the Power Five level, Williams was similarly productive last year. In his junior season, Williams had 26 catches for 276 yards and three touchdowns.
On the defensive end, Day praised another transfer. Former Florida State safety Earl Little Jr. has apparently caught Day’s eye so far in the spring.
“How do you replace Caleb Downs?” Day said. “You can’t, but Earl has been doing a great job of really communicating back there. (Rising junior safety) Jaylen McClain has been doing a good job back there. So that’s been exciting to watch.”
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Day named Little as someone who has been impressive so far in the spring. Not only was Little previously praised by both Day and his teammate Jeremiah Smith, but he was also one of the first players to have their black stripes removed in the spring.
Little had a stellar season last year for the Seminoles, recording 76 total tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. He is projected to start at safety alongside returning starter McClain.
