After getting his helmet knocked clean off by Michigan State teammate Kenny Soares Jr. in celebration of being awarded another year of eligibility, Rod Bullard Jr. officially put the NCAA waiver saga in the rearview mirror.
Pat Fitzgerald, too, has to be breathing a huge sigh of relief after learning that he’d be getting his projected WR2 back for thw 2026 season.
With two likely starters already nailed down in Bullard and Chrishon McCray, Fitzgerald will be tasked with finding a third starter and the three backups on the two-deep.
Who will Michigan State’s starting receivers be to start the season? Obviously this is just an educated prediction based on what’s been said during fall camp.
- WR1 (Slot): Chrishon McCray
- WR2 (Z): Rod Bullard Jr.
- WR3 (X): Bryson Williams OR Charles Taplin
There has been a lot of talk about Charles Taplin fighting for one of those starting spots, but the Bryson Williams hype train isn’t going to conduct itself. This one’s a toss-up, but it likely comes down to those two at some point. Although, KK Smith is an intriguing option for that third starting spot after transferring in from Notre Dame.
Fredrick Moore and Braylon Collier will also be in the mix, but he might be a wideout that comes on later in the season and takes advantage of a surprise opportunity.
How will the two-deep look?
- WR4 (Z): KK Smith
- WR5 (X): Fredrick Moore
- WR6 (Slot): Braylon Collier
There’s not a ton of proven talent at receiver, but Courtney Hawkins has some intriguing weapons to work with like Collier, Smith, Williams, McCray, Moore, Taplin, and Bullard. Don’t sleep on guys like Zachary Washington or Samson Gash who are incoming freshmen who will also be vying for some snaps this season.
My best guess is that McCray, Bullard, and Taplin begin the year as starters, but to add a bigger body to the receiving corps, Fitzgerald and the staff give the nod to Williams eventually.
We’ll see a lot of all seven guys mentioned above regardless of the starters, though.
This is Michigan State’s most wide-open WR depth chart in years
Usually, Michigan State has a good idea of who the starters are at receiver even before fall camp starts. A year ago, it was obvious that Omari Kelly, Nick Marsh, and Chrishon McCray were going to be the top three guys, and that played out exactly as expected.
The year before, it was Marsh, Montorie Foster Jr., and either Aziah Johnson or Jaron Glover. There wasn’t a wide-open battle for multiple spots like there seems to be this season.
Even with Bullard getting that extra year of eligibility, he’s not exactly the most proven FBS receiver, catching just five passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns at this level. He could easily be replaced if he doesn’t live up to expectations. And there are going to be about five guys lobbying for his spot. No one really knows what the pecking order is going to be outside of McCray this season.
And that’s kind of the beauty of this year’s team. No expectations and not many solidified starters. It’s like the slate has been wiped clean for Fitzgerald.
That’s not a bad thing after the Jonathan Smith nightmare.
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