Michigan State has lost plenty of talent to the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, but none of it has truly made fans question the direction of the program. One transfer, however, has caught fans’ attention as an “I’d like to have him back under Pat Fitzgerald” player.
That transfer portal entrant is Nick Marsh.
The sophomore receiver just completed another solid season in East Lansing, but his numbers weren’t where they should’ve been because the offense was horrendous in the middle of the year.
Brian Lindgren and that offense took about five steps back in the month of October, and it never really recovered — even when the quarterback change was made. Alessio Milivojevic showed plenty of promise and was the bright spot in the final month of the year, but it still felt like the play-calling left a lot to be desired.
Shortly after the Maryland win and Jonathan Smith’s firing, Marsh announced that he would be entering the transfer portal when the window opened in January.
Fans were devastated by the news, but it wasn’t even a shock. Marsh re-committed to Smith when he was hired, and it felt like the two had a good relationship. So when his head coach was fired, he decided that he would get a fresh start somewhere else. Fitzgerald, however, may have other plans.
Courtney Hawkins may help Michigan State keep Nick Marsh
On Sunday evening, news broke that Fitzgerald was retaining Michigan State receivers coach Courtney Hawkins from Smith’s staff. He was the coach who recruited and worked with Marsh every day and helped him become a breakout freshman in 2024.
Hawkins is beloved by pretty much every receiver he’s ever coached, including Marsh. So with the news of Hawkins’ return, will that mean Marsh comes back?
I would say that’s nowhere near a guarantee, but it at least starts the conversation. There’s now a common ground between Fitzgerald and Marsh, and that’s believing in Hawkins. Before this announcement of a re-hiring of Hawkins, it felt like Marsh was surely gone, but this news makes things a little more interesting.
It’s going to take a major NIL commitment and the promise of a much better offense to keep Marsh, but I’d be willing to bet that Hawkins and Fitzgerald have already been working on that.
Before the Hawkins news, I would’ve put the chances of a Marsh return at about 10 percent, but now, I’d say they’re close to about 35-30 percent. This is just my read on the situation and relationship between the two, but the Hawkins hire feels like a major move in the right direction.
I’d still predict that Marsh remains in the portal and finds a new home, but Hawkins coming back at least makes him reconsider.
Now, we wait.