One man’s loss is another man’s gain.
That will be true of whichever college football team lands standout tight end Tony Poljan, who on Wednesday announced an intent to transfer out of Central Michigan University.
Poljan, a second-team All-MAC selection in 2019, will be a coveted player in the transfer market, as some NFL scouts have him as a potential late-round selection. Michigan State could have a leg up on the competition to secure the 6-foot-7 standout for a handful of reasons.
First, Poljan is from Lansing. He played his high school ball at Lansing Catholic and the Spartans recruited him back then. The problem was that MSU recruited Poljan as a tight end/athlete and Poljan was determined to play quarterback in college. Thus, he ended up at Central Michigan. Poljan mostly played quarterback at CMU for his first two seasons, with 147 passing attempts in 2018. He did mix in some snaps at receiver and tight end during those seasons. He switched to tight end full time for the 2019 season and caught 33 passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns while putting his name on the NFL’s radar.
Second, Poljan has familial connections to MSU. His sister Rebecka is currently on the MSU volleyball team. Between growing up in the Lasning area and having a sibling on an MSU team, it’s a safe bet that Poljan is quite familiar with Michigan State, the campus, and the football team. He was on the CMU team that traveled to Spartan Stadium in 2018 and I’m sure is familiar with a handful of players on the Michigan State roster.
Third, MSU has a need at the position. Redshirt sophomore Trenton Gillison is the presumed starter at tight end and flashed some ability in 2019. Behind him there are a lot of question marks between Matt Dotson coming off a torn Achilles and a couple of converted defensive ends in Parks Gissinger and Adam Berghorst. Offensive coordinator Jay Johnson said shortly after his arrival to MSU that the tight end would be the “MVP” of the MSU offense. If that’s truly the case, having two really good options at the position would be more ideal than just one. Transferring up in mid-to-late July is going to be tough, and I’d bet Poljan is looking to go somewhere where snaps are available. He would certainly find that at MSU.
Lastly, Poljan is 6-foot-7 and we know how much Mel Tucker and co. like their tall players.
Tony Poljan and Michigan State could be a match made in transfer heaven. With Poljan’s abilities and connections to MSU and the Spartans’ need for help at tight end, they might just be what each other is looking for.
