The wait is finally over for Pat Fitzgerald, Rod Bullard Jr., and Michigan State football.
The Spartans got some good news at practice on Monday as Bullard was declared eligible for the 2026 season by the NCAA while the team was practicing.
No, really.
Fitzgerald spoke to the media after practice and shared the good news about Bullard’s eligibility, stating that he got the news during practice and it’s still a developing situation.
Pat Fitzgerald: "The NCAA has approved Rod Bullard."
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) August 24, 2026
Bullard is officially eligible for the 2026 NCAA season.
This is the best news that Michigan State could have asked for to begin the week because it means that the Spartans have a starting receiving corps in mind as Bullard was projected to start alongside Chrishon McCray. Now, that third starter has yet to be revealed, but it’s likely between KK Smith, Fredrick Moore, Charles Taplin, and Bryson Williams.
Getting Bullard eligible was also big for team morale. Getting a teammate who has been working his butt off and putting in the work back for a fifth year after months of fighting has to feel great.
This might not move the needle for some people who watched Bullard disappear after some preseason hype before the 2025 season, catching just five passes. He did have 119 yards and a touchdown with a 71-yard score against Minnesota. to begin the month of November, but he only had a catch in one other game and that came against Youngstown State in September.
Bullard was never quite used correctly, but that’s undoubtedly going to change under a new, more competent coaching staff.
The receiving corps was looking shaky, but now it’s much more solidified.
Courtney Hawkins should be breathing a sigh of relief
Courtney Hawkins was facing a bit of a crisis entering the 2026 season. He had one clear starter and then a handful of guys fighting for the final two starting spots at receiver.
McCray was going to start, but no one was really standing out beside him other than maybe Taplin or Williams, but the two incoming transfers were still battling it out. Smith and Moore have the potential to slide into starting roles, but Alessio Milivojevic learning basically all new targets for the 2026 season probably wouldn’t have been the best for his confidence.
Getting on the same page as a receiver isn’t a cakewalk, and he’d have to find a way to do that with essentially five new guys and only one returnee.
Getting Bullard back along with McCray and some talented younger guys mixed with the transfer vets just goes to show that the receiver room isn’t as bad as some will lead you to believe. This team has talent at receiver, but it’s up to Hawkins and Fitzgerald to maximize that talent.
Expect a big year from Bullard.
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