Death. Taxes. A Courtney Hawkins product who transferred being selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. OK, so the last part doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but it’s about as guaranteed as death and taxes these days.
The Michigan State receivers coach has seen several former WR1 options leave his program only to be drafted shortly after and the new school takes all the credit. We saw it with Keon Coleman, Germie Bernard, and we’re soon going to see it with Nick Marsh.
Coleman was a second-round pick a couple of years ago, Bernard was taken in the second round of this year’s NFL draft, and Marsh is now projected as a first-rounder in 2027.
According to USA Today, Marsh is projected to be a first-rounder in the 2027 NFL Draft as they have him going No. 23 overall to the Dallas Cowboys. They already have CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but the latter might not be on contract with the Cowboys by this time next year.
Add Marsh to the ever-growing list of former Hawkins products who could become NFL stars.
Courtney Hawkins has been plagued by mediocre staffs
Hawkins has seen several of his former receivers selected in the NFL drafts over the years, but too often, he’s seen his best guys transfer from Michigan State.
The Michigan State receivers coach has sent several guys to the NFL and is likely to have another one of his former guys drafted next year, but poor coaching staffs have plagued him. It’s not his fault that his best players want to transfer out because the offense is so bad and the head coach is leading a sinking ship.
We can flash back to 2021 when Hawkins was developing an excellent receiving corps with Jayden Reed, Jalen Nailor, and Coleman. The latter didn’t play much during that season, but he was waiting in the wings, and when Nailor left for the NFL, he slid right into that role behind Reed.
In one year, Coleman became a legitimate NFL draft prospect because of his size and athleticism, but he decided to leave Mel Tucker and Michigan State for a program that could contend for a national title and best put his talents on display. He chose Florida State and was eventually selected in the second round by the Buffalo Bills, but to this day, he still credits Hawkins and Michigan State for making him the player he is.
That same offseason in which Coleman transferred, Bernard left as well. Bernard was one of the gems of the 2022 recruiting class for Tucker and the Spartans and he opted to head back home to Washington and then he eventually followed his head coach to Alabama. He also became a second-round pick after learning from Hawkins.
We can’t forget Ricky White, too, who broke out as a freshman under Hawkins in 2020 before running into some team issues and eventually transferring to UNLV where he became a star. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, Marsh is likely a first-rounder in the 2027 NFL Draft and it’ll come a year after leaving Hawkins and Michigan State. I think he did this prematurely because Fitzgerald is going to figure it out, but joining the reigning national champs can’t be a bad career move.
Once again, Marsh was grown at Michigan State and Indiana will get to take credit for his draft selection.
If Hawkins had a receiving corps of just guys who transferred out, it would be the best in college football. Coleman, Marsh, and Bernard would be unstoppable.
Fitzgerald needs to turn things around so Hawkins doesn’t keep losing his best guys.
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