Four years ago, Mel Tucker and Michigan State landed four-star receiver Germie Bernard to join an impressive recruiting class following an 11-2 season.
The Spartans looked to be loaded for the forseeable future with Tucker recruiting at a high level and the quarterback situation seemingly set for years with Katin Houser, Payton Thorne, and Sam Leavitt all in the same quarterback room. The receiver room, too, was loaded with Jayden Reed, Keon Coleman, and Bernard.
Unfortunately, we all know what happened next.
The offseason following the disappointing 2022 season was essentially the nail in Tucker’s coaching coffin in East Lansing. He lost Thorne, Coleman, and Bernard all to the transfer portal. The team looked wildly different and that’s always going to happen when you lose three of your best players.
Thorne got a look in the NFL, Coleman was drafted in 2024 after a season with Florida State, and Bernard was just selected on Friday night in the second round.
With the 47th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers traded up to get the former Spartan wide receiver who spent the last two seasons at Alabama. Before Alabama and right after Michigan State, Bernard spent a year at Washington with Kalen DeBoer before following him to Tuscaloosa.
Now Bernard is headed to Pittsburgh to likely start alongside DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. which is turning out to be one of the most intriguing trios in the AFC.
Bernard was a good pick in the second round by the Steelers and some even thought he might be in the conversation as a top 2-3 receiver in this draft class in the middle of the 2025 season. He had a career-high 64 catches for 862 yards and seven touchdowns with the Tide this season, out-shining preseason superstar Ryan Williams.
At Michigan State, he had just seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman.
Courtney Hawkins had yet another former WR in the NFL
Since taking over in 2020, Courtney Hawkins has sent several receivers to the NFL, and Bernard becomes the latest although he hasn’t coached him since 2022.
When Bernard was deciding what to do about the transfer portal following the 2022 season, Hawkins was one of the main reasons he was considering returning. Ultimately, he wasn’t promised what he was looking for and decided to head to Washington where the Huskies made the national title game only to lose to Michigan. Hawkins and MSU could have used him that season — and for the past two years, for that matter.
Now, he joins Keon Coleman (Bills), Jayden Reed (Packers), and Jalen Nailor (Raiders) as the other Hawkins products to make it to the NFL. Two of those guys — Reed and Nailor — are worth a combined $85 million while Coleman could play his way into a big contract this year. And I fully expect former Spartan Nick Marsh to go in the early rounds next year.
A receiver room with Bernard and Marsh would have been fun to watch.
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