The Mantra Fueling Michigan State's WR Room
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When people think about wide receivers, most think about spectacular catches, scoring touchdowns and perhaps an excess amount of confidence.
For Michigan State’s wide receiver room, which could potentially be one of the team’s top position groups, priority one has had nothing to do with anything that flashes on television screens or fills out a stat sheet.
“I have a sign in our receiver room that says, ‘No block, no rock,’” MSU wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins said on Monday. “I’ve got 15 dudes in there, and if you want to stay in there, you’re going to block; all 15 of them.
“That’s the attitude that we all have. We take blocking personally. It’s a big part of our offense; in order for us to have the big runs that we’re going to have this year, we’ve got to get it done (blocking-wise) downfield.
“It’s just part of our DNA. If you’re not doing it in practice then, you know, you’ll be standing by me most of the time (on the sidelines during games).”
Who has been blocking the best within the group?
According to Valdosta State transfer Rodney Bullard Jr., the wide out that has been the best blocker is exactly the type of answer many fans would like to hear: Nick Marsh, who led the team in receiving yards as a true freshman during the 2024 season.
"Blocking comes down to effort," Bullard said. "But I would say, as of right now, Nick has been doing a very good job with that. And for him to have the status he has and still decide to come out every day and go hard and block, that sets the standard for the room."
"I definitely do (take pride in blocking)," Marsh said. "Not just catching the ball helps the team out. We've got a lot of run game stuff, and that one block can be a big difference to the run game, just going to get the safety or taking the corner out of the play.
"We preach on that. We're a run-heavy football team, and I love to do nothing else but help the team out as much as I can."
What makes WR blocking so important
As Marsh said, blocking out on the perimeter and preventing tackles from the opposing secondary is one of the things that can generate explosive plays.
The lack of big plays from the ground game was one of the team's problems last year, as the team only had two rushes of 40-plus yards all season long. Both of them came against the two non-Power Four opponents on the Spartans' schedule as well, with Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams running one 63 yards against Florida Atlantic and Nate Carter taking one 60 yards versus Prairie View A&M.
In general, the Spartans finished last year ranked 110th in the FBS for rush yards per game (115.3). That's not going to cut it in the second year of the Jonathan Smith era.
Perhaps, part of the solution for the Spartans' run game woes is outside of the box, literally and figuratively.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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