Courtney Hawkins may have hinted at return on Pat Fitzgerald’s staff

With all coaching changes, there comes a period of time where the new head coach evaluates the current staff and considers retaining some guys. Jonathan Smith did it with Mel Tucker’s staff, and now Pat Fitzgerald is presumably doing it with Smith’s.

And it looks like a popular assistant could find his way back onto the staff through a second round of coaching changes at Michigan State.

Courtney Hawkins has become a fan favorite in East Lansing for his ability to develop elite wide receiver talent, and he’s also been one of the program’s best recruiters since Tucker. He helped land Keon Coleman, he turned Jayden Reed into an NFL wideout as well as Jalen Nailor, and he helped recruit guys like Nick Marsh, Chrishon McCray, Braylon Collier, Evan Boyd, and Omari Kelly.

Well, it appears that he could be retained by Fitzgerald when he does announce his new staff, as hinted by some tweets on early signing day. After Michigan State received NLIs from three-star wideout Zach Washington and walk-on receiver Colin Charles, Hawkins tweeted something that caught fans’ eyes.

Sure, he could just be tweeting that as an alum and a coach who recruited both players, but welcoming them “home” seems to be a good sign for Hawkins’ potential retainment.

Hawkins was hired by Tucker back in 2000 when he took over for a suddenly-retired Mark Dantonio, and the Spartan legend immediately had a positive impact on the receiving corps. Guys like Nailor and Reed became NFL talents under his watch, and Coleman would have followed suit in the green and white but he transferred out after a disappointing 2022 season, team-wise.

When Tucker was fired, Hawkins remained with Smith on his staff where he was one of the better recruiters for the program. He was also a great talent developer.

Now, it looks like he could be retained for a second straight time, and he could also help Fitzgerald ease into the Michigan State culture. Having a guy on the staff who knows the program inside and out, and who has a relationship with the players already would be huge — Fitzgerald knows it.

So don’t be surprised if he’s announced as Michigan State’s “next” receivers coach (again).

At least we can hope.