Michigan State Football: Way-too-early 2022 depth chart projection

Receivers

Starting receivers: Jayden Reed, Tre Mosley, Keon Coleman
Backups: Christian Fitzpatrick, Antonio Gates Jr., Montorie Foster

Jayden Reed’s return is huge for Michigan State and he’ll easily be the WR1 for the Spartans and I could even see him being the Big Ten Receiver of the Year. He just recorded the first 1,000-yard season at receiver for Michigan State since Aaron Burbridge in 2015. He’s due for an even bigger 2022 season and I think he could be an All-American candidate.

Tre Mosley was quietly solid all year, too, and he’ll do a solid job of replacing Jalen Nailor as Michigan State’s WR2. He had 35 catches for 530 yards and three scores and rarely dropped a pass — if ever. He doesn’t have Nailor speed, but he has elite hands.

Keon Coleman is my favorite to crack the starting lineup from the backup role and I think he’s got star potential. The former four-star was lightly used this year, but maybe that was by design because the Spartans didn’t exactly need him. Expect a big sophomore season.

Christian Fitzpatrick should be utilized more next year and I’d also like to see true freshman Antonio Gates Jr. get a shot. Montorie Foster showed flashes of being a solid contributor.

Overall, a solid receiver room.

Tight Ends

Starting tight end: Maliq Carr
Backup: Jack Nickel

The tight end position is going to be interesting this year because while Tyler Hunt, Trenton Gillison, and Kam Allen are all gone, I think the position will be upgraded tremendously.

Maliq Carr showed that he could be an athletic freak at the position and really came on at the end of the season. He’ll be the starter in 2022, barring a setback. He had just eight catches for 135 yards this year, but he’s just scratching the surface.

Behind him should be true freshman Jack Nickel who the staff has high hopes for. The former Notre Dame commit is an elite blocker with athleticism so he’s the complete package.