Michigan State football: Louisville transfer Christian Fitzpatrick will be red-zone threat

Mel Tucker has made it clear that he’s willing to dip into the transfer portal to build the roster his way. Michigan State had landed transfers every now and then under Mark Dantonio, but Tucker has taken full advantage of the portal and just picked up a big pledge on Saturday.

In the same offseason that the Spartans lost 6-foot-6 red-zone target Tre’Von Morgan to the transfer portal, they picked up a pledge from 6-foot-4 receiving threat Christian Fitzpatrick.

The younger brother of former Louisville receiver Desmond Fitzpatrick who was a senior in 2020, Christian has the size and the potential to be one of the best receivers on the roster. Will he start right away? Probably not, but he’s the perfect depth piece for the Spartans.

A native of Michigan, Fitzpatrick wasn’t pursued heavily enough by Dantonio and his staff in the 2020 class before he committed to Louisville.

On Saturday, he joined the new staff with the hope of becoming a top red-zone target and potentially a future No. 1 receiver.

Fitzpatrick was the No. 740 recruit in the 2020 class. He was also the No. 117 receiver in the class and 23rd-best Michigan prospect, according to 247Sports‘ composite rankings.

Michigan State football got the red-zone threat it needed

Standing 6-foot-4 with a strong 210-pound frame, Fitzpatrick may not be the 6-6 option that Morgan was, but he has a little more athleticism. A big frame with speed and strong hands makes him the weapon that Morgan was expected to be.

When Fitzpatrick was in high school, recruiting expert Allen Trieu compared him to Auden Tate of the Cincinnati Bengals, stating that he has a big frame and wide catch radius. He also said that Fitzpatrick has great burst and can create some separation. His size makes him a 50/50 jump-ball specialist and he can do more than just that.

While Tucker probably brought him in to replace Morgan as the top red-zone threat, he should develop into one of the best overall receivers on the roster.

This dude is a future starter for MSU.