It’s time we have a conversation about how good of a receivers coach Courtney Hawkins is.
Since being hired at Michigan State in 2020 by then-head coach Mel Tucker, Hawkins has not only recruited at a high level, but he’s sent several receivers to the NFL.
While he’s a good recruiter, he’s also known to land some diamonds in the rough. If you were to ask me to pick who his next “diamond in the rough” is, I think I’d have to do with Bryson Williams. The three-star “athlete” recruit from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s who’s entering his redshirt freshman season has been touted as a potential breakout candidate, and I believe it. If he’s being coached by Hawkins, I fully expect that he’ll have an NFL shot.
We don’t talk enough about how good Hawkins is at getting his guys to the league — and yes, this includes guys who have transferred out after learning under him.
I mean, when you have an elite college receiver like Keon Coleman saying that he committed to Michigan State and the plan was to learn from Hawkins before finishing his college career elsewhere, you know you have the right guy coaching wideouts. Obviously losing Coleman isn’t ideal, but it also was the fault of Tucker and the coaching staff and now Hawkins.
Coleman still gives Hawkins credit for growing him as a player and he’s just a fraction of who the Michigan State receivers coach has been able to send to the league.
Courtney Hawkins’ NFL resume is elite
It’s incredible to think that Hawkins became a college coach for the first time six years ago and he already has one of the more impressive resumes out there.
Since taking over at Michigan State, he’s had a helping hand in getting these guys to the NFL:
- Jayden Reed (Packers)
- Jalen Nailor (Raiders)
- Ricky White (Seahawks)
- Montorie Foster (Seahawks)
- Keon Coleman (Bills)
- Germie Bernard (Steelers)
- Omari Kelly (UDFA deal with the Bears)
- Nick Marsh (Projected 2027 first-round pick)
Outside of these guys, I truly believe that if Jaron Glover, Tyrell Henry, Jaelen Smith, and Jaylan Brown stayed, they would be looking at legitimate NFL futures, too.
Hawkins has been coaching at Michigan State for six years and he has six guys (seven if you include Kelly) in the NFL and a seventh coming next year. On top of that, he has guys like Chrishon McCray, Rod Bullard, Williams, Braylon Collier, KK Smith, and Fredrick Moore who I think all have a shot to make the league under his tutelage, too.
Fitzgerald better keep giving this man raises because Power Four programs are going to be attempting poaches every offseason if this elite development continues.
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