After losing a handful of receivers to the transfer portal this week, Michigan State football fans have been hovering their hands over the panic button.
The Spartans have lost Antonio Gates Jr., Jaelen Smith, and Aziah Johnson since the 2024 regular season ended but they do return Nick Marsh who is the most important piece of the puzzle. On top of the three departures listed above, Montorie Foster Jr. is graduation and moving on.
Fortunately for the Spartans, they have a talented freshman coming in. And he just dominated in his state title game despite a one-point heartbreaking loss.
Braylon Collier pieced together one of the best performances of any receiver prospect in the country in the state title game, catching eight passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns. He had five catches for 141 yards and two scores in the first half alone.
'Sparty Spectacular'
— H. Tyler Seggerman (@TylerSeggerman) December 8, 2024
The green gloves are putting on a show tonight in Canton as Braylon Collier (@brayloncollier1) has 5 receptions, 141 yards & 2 TD in the first half ❇️
Perkins knotted up with Indian Valley at the half, 22-22 in Division IV State Championship pic.twitter.com/dlKKG40Sxc
Collier did score a fourth touchdown on a diving catch in the second half, but an illegal man downfield penalty wiped it away and his team lost 37-36.
The three-star from Sandusky, Ohio, is one of the top 100 receiver prospects in the country and while his recruiting ranking isn't wildly impressive, it seems as if he's going to be one of those diamond-in-the-rough players. He has outperformed his ranking at the high school level and I wouldn't be shocked to see one final bump in his rating.
Collier just signed with Michigan State on Wednesday and put up a career performance on Saturday night. It feels like he's going to be really fun to watch over the next few years.