Top 5 transfer portal landing spots for Michigan State WR Nick Marsh

Wide receiver Nick Marsh played in one of the more underwhelming offenses in the country over the last two years at Michigan State, yet he still managed to shine, totaling 100 receptions for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns during his time with the Spartans.

Now, Marsh is looking for a new opportunity and has announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2.

He is No. 17 on On3's ranking of the top players entering the portal and the No. 2 wide receiver on that list, so he will be in high demand.

Marsh was a four-star top-200 prospect out of River Rouge, Michigan, when he initially opted to stay close to home for college.

But where will he land now out of the transfer portal? Here are five potential landing spots for Marsh ...

(The NCAA transfer portal window is from Jan. 2-16, and players can't formally enter the portal or talk to other schools until then. But many have already made their transfer intentions known.)

Michigan defensive back Zeke Berry (10) tackles Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh (6) | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LSU Tigers

Lane Kiffin is going to want to make a splash in his first portal cycle at LSU, especially in building a loaded offense, and landing one of the top wide receivers on the market is a big step toward doing that.

Plus, LSU's passing game needs help after an uncharacteristically down year, and the Tigers' top three leading receivers are all leaving. Barion Brown (53 catches for 532 yards and 1 touchdown) and Zavion Thomas (41-488-4) were seniors this season, while Aaron Anderson (33-398-0) is leaving for the NFL draft as well.

LSU's recent history of churning out star NFL receivers has to be compelling to any pass-catcher. Couple that with Kiffin's offense and the opportunity to step in immediately as a No. 1 target, and Marsh should be taking a long look at a move to Baton Rouge.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State was one of Marsh's five finalists out of high school and at one point was viewed as the favorite to land him, and even though the coaching staff has turned over there, his familiarity with the program and campus could factor in, considering the Nittany Lions were so prominent in his initial recruitment.

New head coach Matt Campbell has to completely rebuild the offense, with star running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton moving on after being the unit's identity.

Penn State also loses its top three receivers as Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson were all seniors this season, so it makes sense for Campbell and the Nittany Lions to invest big in the position.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

From the moment Marsh announced his transfer intentions, Notre Dame fans have been pining for the playmaker as a missing piece for the Fighting Irish offense in 2026.

The Irish returns quarterback CJ Carr after a productive redshirt-freshman season in which he passed for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The team loses its second-leading receiver -- and deep threat -- Malachi Fields (team-high 17.5 yards per reception), so Marsh could step right into that role and form a dynamic tandem with Jordan Faison (49-640-4).

Expect the Irish to be aggressive in adding to the roster after its College Football Playoff snub, and Marsh is talent worth splurging for at a position of need.

USC Trojans

Lincoln Riley has been aggressive in pursuing wide receivers in the transfer portal every year he's been at USC, and that was when he didn't even particularly need any more firepower at the position.

Now, he definitely does, with Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon (79-1,156-11) and Ja'Kobi Lane (49-745-4) heading to the NFL, leaving rising sophomore Tanook Hines (28-398-2) as the Trojans' top returning receiver.

USC returns a veteran quarterback with a big arm in Jayden Maiava, so that should be appealing to any potential wide receiver transfer, along with Riley's track record and the fact that the Trojans ranked 6th nationally in passing offense (297.3 yards per game) this season.

Riley and USC have been bold before in pursuing wide receivers from the portal, landing Jordan Addison from Pitt when he was the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner. It would not surprise me at all to see the Trojans get involved with Marsh.

Oregon Ducks

Oregon was another of Marsh's five finalists during his recruitment out of high school, and while his lead recruiter there, former WRs coach Junior Adams, is no longer with the Ducks, the Ducks remain an appealing option.

Leading receiver Malik Benson (36-645-6) is in his final season of eligibility, as is veteran WR Gary Bryant Jr. While the Ducks' WR room will be left with plenty of talent, they too have routinely been aggressive in adding transfers at the position and have the NIL resources to be a major player in Marsh's recruitment.