This Position Battle Will Have Big Impact on MSU's Future Outlook
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Every decision has a larger ripple effect in college football now.
Coaches cannot keep a promising player on the bench for a few years anymore and expect them to develop. Any player who wants to play more can leave. That makes the outcomes of position battles all the more interesting, because those clashes can lead to larger roster movement further down the line. The biggest battle this year for Michigan State is in the wide receiver room.
Room Full of Unknowns
MSU has nine wide receivers, in my estimation, who have at least a fighter's chance at playing time this year. The only truly "proven" player is Chrishon McCray. He was the Spartans' starting slot receiver last year, catching 24 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the program after transferring from Kent State. Even then, Michigan State will be seeking a leap from McCray, who felt underutilized for much of the 2025 campaign.
McCray is one of three wide receivers who are set to exhaust their eligibility this year. Another is Jameel Gardner Jr., who was a late transfer portal addition from Jackson State this offseason. Funnily enough, he and McCray were teammates at Kent State for two years. Rodney Bullard Jr. is the third after he was granted a waiver by the NCAA this past Monday.
This means six others are dueling for positioning on the depth chart and will have the option to return to Michigan State in 2027. Four of those players in the mix are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen, too.
Nine receivers probably aren't going to play every single game for MSU this year. There will probably be a couple of receivers or so who just won't get the playing time they might have sought during training camp.
Where Things Stand Entering Season
It's a little tough to gauge exactly where things stand in the wide receiver room, but there is an idea. The first guys getting reps during drills at practice for most of camp have been McCray, Bullard, and then Charles Taplin.
What's a bit surprising is that all three of those potential "starters" are returning players from last year's team. Wide receiver seemed to be a need for Michigan State this transfer portal cycle after losing Nick Marsh to Indiana and Omari Kelly at the end of his eligibility. The Spartans also lost key reserve Evan Boyd to the portal; he wound up at Iowa State.
MSU didn't necessarily neglect that need, either. Three of the receivers battling for playing time are portal additions: Gardner, Michigan transfer Fredrick Moore, and Notre Dame transfer KK Smith. Moore and Smith are both redshirt juniors this year and have two years of eligibility each (counting 2026).
Both of them were backups at their previous stops. Smith had eight catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns with the Fighting Irish last year. Moore didn't have a catch in four appearances for UM in 2025, though he does have 15 career receptions for 160 yards and one score. The team's social media accounts have posted a few nice plays from Smith and Moore this camp, but their overall roles still feel like a bit of a mystery.
The young guys are another big part of the equation. Taplin, who seems to be in line to start, is just a redshirt freshman who made one catch for eight yards last year. Braylon Collier and Bryson Williams were also members of Michigan State's 2025 recruiting class and are in the mix. True freshman Samson Gash, one of the highest-ranked recruits in the Spartans' 2026 class, should also get some playing time as perhaps the fastest player on the roster.
Shifting to a rotation also differs from what MSU has traditionally done, with Courtney Hawkins as the wide receivers coach. Bullard's 132 offensive snaps last year were the most among the Spartans' non-starting receivers, and 50 of those snaps came during one start Bullard got against Minnesota while McCray was hurt. Kelly and Marsh got 702 and 672 snaps last year, respectively.
Even if Michigan State routinely plays six to eight receivers every single game, it's going to be difficult to keep everybody happy. There is only one ball for Alessio Milivojevic to distribute, and it'll be pretty much impossible for everyone to get fed.
What also makes the result of this position battle so consequential is that I think you'll see MSU try to run the ball more this year. Michigan State also has four running backs who should command carries, and a physical, ground-and-pound offensive identity seems aligned with what Pat Fitzgerald will want.
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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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