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Michigan State Football: 5 under-the-radar players who will surprise in 2019

By Connor Muldowney

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans watches warm ups before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans watches warm ups before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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TEMPE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 08: Wide receivers Laress Nelson #13 and Andre Welch #83 of the Michigan State Spartans before the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Spartans 16-13. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 08: Wide receivers Laress Nelson #13 and Andre Welch #83 of the Michigan State Spartans before the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Spartans 16-13. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

There’s been some high praise for Laress Nelson this fall and it shouldn’t come as any surprise for people who have watched him grow throughout his career.

No, Nelson hasn’t put up monster numbers, which is why he’s on this list, but he has grown exponentially in his first two seasons. He went from lightly-used freshman with three catches for 29 yards and then he caught 12 passes for 114 yards.

To top it all off, he’s earned a famous nickname from Darrell Stewart Jr. this spring, being named “the human joystick”.

That’s not exactly a bad nickname to have because you need to be shifty at receiver with the ball in your hands. He could be one of the best yards after catch receivers on the team.

Brian Lewerke has been raving about Nelson, too, and it seems like he might be one of the senior quarterback’s favorite targets in 2019.

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