Michigan State Football: Jalen Nailor injury opens door for young guys
Michigan State football received some bad news on Thursday as starting receiver Jalen Nailor has reportedly broken his foot.
Is the sky falling? By reading social media on Thursday, you’d think that was the case. Jalen Nailor was rumored to have a season-ending foot injury and it was confirmed by Graham Couch.
A source confirms the rumor about the injury to MSU sophomore receiver Jalen Nailor.
— Couch and The Rube (@couchandtherube) September 5, 2019
Nailor has a broken foot and is out for the season.
Big blow to MSU, including its return game, which looked promising last week.
The sophomore receiver hadn’t had a ton of production in his young Michigan State career, but he made the starting rotation this season and was projected to have a monster season with his combination of speed and elusiveness.
While the injury is awful news, it’s not the end of the world for the Spartans. It hurts the depth on an already-thinning position group but there are young guys waiting in the wings.
So where do the Spartans turn with Nailor out? The first, and most obvious, choice is Laress Nelson, a junior with 14 career catches for 168 yards. He has received plenty of praise this offseason from his teammates, including Brian Lewerke. He has the speed and elusiveness necessary to be a major yards after catch receiver like Nailor could have been.
But there are other options, too. This means that C.J. Hayes will have a larger role along with freshman stud Julian Barnett who moved over from the secondary and fellow freshman Tre Mosley. These young guys could get a shot and each has plenty of athleticism and talent.
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The receiving corps will be more unproven than every before, but there’s enough talent on the roster to replace Nailor. This is a tough blow, but it can be made up for.