A new era of Michigan State football is officially upon us, but there has been one constant throughout the past six years and three coaching staffs: Courtney Hawkins.
The Spartans’ receivers coach was hired by Mel Tucker in 2020 after having no collegiate experience, and he hit the ground running.
Hawkins was the man behind Ricky White’s unbelievable performance in a 2020 upset win at Michigan, he’s recruited at a high level, he’s sent several guys to the NFL, and he’s one of the main reasons that Jalen Nailor and Jayden Reed just signed new contracts this offseason that are worth a combined $85 million.
It’s safe to say that Hawkins can coach.
However, after losing his best receiver for the second time in four years, his receiving corps lost a legitimate Day 1 NFL draft talent. Nick Marsh leaving put a damper on that receiving room, and so has Omari Kelly’s departure. The top two receivers from an already-thin room have moved on, but listen to me when I say this: Michigan State’s receiving corps is going to be really sneaky good in 2026.
And I’ll tell you why.
Michigan State’s WR room has no shortage of talent
All offseason before spring ball, I was thinking to myself how much different the receiver room was going to look and I’ll admit, I was down on this group.
I should have known better than to bet against Hawkins.
After watching some highlights from the Spring Showcase and reading back on some quotes, it’s safe to say that wide receiver is going to be one of the better units on the roster contrary to popular belief. Losing players like Marsh and Kelly would demoralize some teams, but it looks like Michigan State just reloaded at the position.
Pat Fitzgerald was able to get Chrishon McCray back after he originally entered the transfer portal, Rod Bullard is trying to return for another year, KK Smith showed promise this spring as a Notre Dame transfer, the same goes for Fredrick Moore, Bryson Williams is my pick for a breakout candidate, Braylon Collier could also break out, Charles Taplin has received some praise, and Zach Washington is a young guy that the staff is really excited about.
And that doesn’t even include four-star Samson Gash who committed to Michigan State over Alabama, Penn State, and Georgia.
This room has size, it has athleticism, and it has plenty of depth. While it might be missing an alpha dog, I’m willing to put money on that being McCray and that’s just fine with me.
Don’t sleep on the receiving corps, Spartan fans. Hawkins always proves us wrong.
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