The biggest post-Pat Fitzgerald hire news went public on Monday afternoon as star wide receiver Nick Marsh’s agent revealed that the sophomore planned to enter the transfer portal.
It wasn’t the most shocking news considering he was always rumored as a transfer candidate, but it still felt like a gunshot to the chest for a lot of fans. Pat Fitzgerald can’t be too thrilled, either, considering Marsh is the team’s leading receiver and a weapon that new QB1 Alessio Milivojevic utilized heavily.
Marsh had over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns on 100 receptions in two years at Michigan State, and losing him creates an opportunity for some younger guys to step up.
Shortly after the news broke about Marsh’s plans to enter the portal, the talented wide receiver posted a message for Spartan fans on Instagram. He confirmed his plans to leave.
Nick Marsh confirms his intent to transfer on Instagram.
— Connor Earegood (@ConnorEaregood) December 1, 2025
The River Rouge product set two freshman receiving records at MSU last year and caught 59 passes for 662 yards and 6 TDs this season. pic.twitter.com/xDut8D419d
Marsh thanked Spartan Nation for the two years in East Lansing and he said he wouldn’t change it for a thing, concluding his message with an “SD4L” and a “Go Green!”
Certainly fans aren’t going to love the use of “SD4L” on a transfer confirmation message.
There was some hope that Marsh would decide to withdraw his name from portal consideration, but this pretty much sews up his time at Michigan State. It ended with some drop issues, but he still had 150 yards on 10 catches over his final two games.
Marsh is going to be a hot commodity in the transfer portal when it opens up.
Obviously there’s still a chance that Fitzgerald could convince Marsh to come back and we’ve seen it happen before, but it’s unlikely especially with the monetary numbers being thrown around. It sounds like schools are prepared to make him massive NIL offers.
Fitzgerald is going to have to rely on Chrishon McCray to become his top receiver next season and he showed a ton of promise near the end of the 2025 season after coming over from Kent State. He’ll also have Braylon Collier, Evan Boyd, Rodney Bullard, and Bryson Williams to convince to stay with the program under his leadership.
A tough job just got even tougher.