Does Michigan State football have 1,000-yard receiver candidates for 2020?

Michigan State football is looking to improve its offense drastically this season and it won’t be too difficult given the weapons returning.

If you feel like this offseason has been absolutely dragging along, that’s because it has and Big Ten football isn’t back for another month.

This has led to fans anxiously speculating every aspect of the 2020 Spartans with a new coaching staff in place. Will this team have a better offense? Will the defense be elite again with a top-tier defensive staff in place? Will a new quarterback step up and be that next Connor Cook or Kirk Cousins, leading Michigan State to new heights?

So many questions that need to be answered, but some are flying under the radar like will Elijah Collins become the first Spartan since Jeremy Langford to rush for 1,000 yards or will Michigan State field a 1,000-yard receiver this season despite the shortened slate?

We already tried to answer the first one and said it was entirely possible, but now it’s time to tackle that second question regarding 1,000-yard receivers.

Does Michigan State even have any 1,000-yard receiver candidates on the roster?

Short answer: absolutely. Long answer: maybe not in just 8-9 games. Finishing the season with 1,000-plus receiving yards is one of the rarest feats in college football’s 12-game normal schedule, but when you removed 3-4 regular season games, it becomes that much more difficult. I don’t see anyone finishing with 1,000 yards receiving on Michigan State this season, but there are definitely some candidates to come close.

Jayden Reed would be my first choice as a guy who could approach 1,000. He is a threat to make a play in the short game or deep and can take a slant and turn it into a 75-yard touchdown. He transferred in from Western Michigan and was a Freshman All-American in 2018. Don’t sleep on him to lead the team in receiving.

Next is Jalen Nailor who is a speedster. He can also turn a short slant into a long touchdown, making people miss and blowing by defenders at the second level. If he can stay healthy (which he hasn’t been able to do), he will be a monster offensive threat.

My last true candidate to reach 1,000 — or at least approach it — would be sophomore Tre Mosley who had a promising first year on campus, catching 21 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. He’s just scratching the surface and his ceiling is very high.

Some dark-horse candidates would be Tre’Von Morgan, who is the tallest guy on the team, or Ricky White who is an incoming freshman and I believe he has an incredibly high ceiling.

Michigan State has the candidates, but the quarterback and shortened season may be its biggest roadblocks. Expect someone to reach 800-850 yards, though. And that someone, in my opinion, will be Reed.