For the first time since 2021, Michigan State football could have a position group that sets it apart from everyone else and gives the Spartans a distinct advantage.
According to Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, it's the receiving corps.
Michigan State hasn't had a position group stand out quite like that running back room did back in 2021, but Rossi is raving about the receiving corps, stating that there are multiple weapons and it "stands out" so far. He also said that these guys are productive and can run which means that his defense is likely having problems with these wideouts.
Joe Rossi: “The reality is, the receiver room, as a whole, stands out. It’s multiple people. When you take a room and add multiple people that are productive and can run, it’s a good situation for the offense. There’s multiple threats there.”
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) August 5, 2025
Whenever you hear a position coach speak highly of a position group that he's not in charge of, you know there's something to it. This isn't just coachspeak, it's what he's been seeing at practice through fall camp so far. He's likely noticed that the Spartan receivers are quick and causing problems for the defense which is a good sign for the offensive side of the ball.
Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal took note of this quote and compared it to Michigan State's 2021 running back room, led by Kenneth Walker III.
Couch said that the defense raved about Walker back before the 2021 season, and he went on to become the Doak Walker Award winner and probably should've been a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Rossi's words about the receiving corps remind him of that.
After talking to Joe Rossi and the MSU defense, Graham Couch says this year’s WR room has potential to be a problem for other teams in a way no MSU position group has been since 2021. pic.twitter.com/2PZpVoUUmv
— Moneybagg (@MoneybaggH0E) August 5, 2025
Michigan State brought in Chrishon McCray from Kent State, Rodney Bullard from Valdosta State, Omari Kelly from Middle Tennessee, and Evan Boyd from Central Michigan to complement a record-breaking freshman in Nick Marsh. This receiving corps is built to dominate defensive backfields.
Rossi knows it, Couch knows it, and soon, every team in America will know it.