Michigan State’s ‘explosive’ wide receiver room standing out after offseason transfer infusion
Michigan State needs more out of the wide receiver position in 2025, and coaches and players are impressed with the group so far.
East Lansing — Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and a trio of defenders spoke with media after Michigan State’s practice Tuesday, but it was the wide receivers who kept coming up.
After a week of practices, the reworked Spartan wide receiver room is standing out to the defenders matching up with them in practice. And it’s more than just sophomore standout Nick Marsh making plays, as the entire group has coaches and players singing their praises early in camp.
“I think the receiver room as a whole is the thing that stands out to me,” Rossi said. “It's faster, there's more playmaking ability. There's multiple people. It's not just hanging your hat on one guy.”
Marsh was a bright spot in a Spartans passing offense that lacked consistency and pop in 2024. And while necessary improvements along the offensive line are key to fixing an aerial attack that averaged 218.1 yards per game last season, the Spartan coaching staff didn’t stand pat at receiver, either, infusing a number of ready-to-play transfers into the room: senior Omari Kelly, junior Chrishon McCray and senior Rod Bullard and sophomore Evan Boyd.
And as Michigan State gets into the throes of fall camp, it seems to have paid off.
“I think we hit on all four of those guys,” offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said. “And I don't think you can always say that.”
Along with being deeper, now, the group brings together a collection of varied body types and skillsets.
Marsh is the prototypical build for a No. 1, outside receiver: Big, strong, fast and can make catches outside the numbers and over the middle of the field.
Bullard is most at home in the slot but can play outside as well, Lindgren said. Kelly is something of an all-around receiver with length, physicality and sure hands to be a reliable target in whatever role he takes on. Boyd is a taller target at 6-foot-3 with some vertical ability, both down the field and leaping over defenders to snatch passes. And McCray is the explosive element, bringing pure speed.
“I would say Chrishon definitely has game-breaking speed,” Kelly said. “He's probably one of the fastest people on the team.”
The speed that McCray brings is indicative of a wide receiver room, and Spartan offense, aiming to crank up the percentage of chunk plays this season.
In 2024, Michigan State’s longest passing play was a 77-yard touchdown against Maryland, hauled in by Marsh. He also had a 57-yard catch that day, and was the Spartans’ lone consistent threat down the field all season, as no other returning receiver for Michigan State had a catch longer than 20 yards in 2024.
The desire, then, is for the transfer wideouts to help jumpstart a passing attack and offense in general that can take big chunks of yards at a time.
And if 2024 is any indication, they’re quite capable.
McCray recorded catches of 68, 63 and 45 yards in 2024 playing for Kent State. Kelly, at Middle Tennessee State, had receptions of 71, 69 and 38 yards, among others. Bullard hauled in catches for 84, 75 and 69 and put together a 1001 yard, 12 touchdown campaign at Valdosta State. And prior to getting hurt, Boyd hauled in catches for 47 and 34 yards in eight games at Central Michigan.
But no matter how the wide receiver hierarchy breaks down behind Marsh for the Spartans, it’s a safe bet the expanded menu of options for Aidan Chiles means less attention on his top target on a down-to-down basis.
“I think what you have is a really good situation for the offense because it's not a situation where you can just hone in on one guy,” Rossi said. “There's multiple threats there. So I think that group is probably the thing that stood out the most.”
And for Kelly and the rest of the receivers, being the sort of group that makes defenses pick their poison is an enticing proposition.
“They gotta pick somebody,” Kelly said. “They're either going to have to play man or find somebody to double. But if they double somebody, they got two other people ready to take the top off.”
