Nick Marsh became a freshman focus for opposing defenses in 2024. Michigan State football's goal is to have its wide receiver additions offset that.
EAST LANSING — The college football world and Michigan State football fans found out just how talented Nick Marsh is two games into last season.
The problem was, so did opposing coaches. And thus Spartans coaches made their own adjustments in the offseasonm bringing in more weapons at wide receiver to help deflect attention from their burgeoning star.
“We realized last year we were missing a few pieces,” Marsh said during Big Ten football media days last month in Las Vegas. “And now that we finally got those pieces, our confidence as a team and as an offense and a defense has grown bigger.”
MSU added transfers Omari Kelly (Middle Tennessee State), Chrishon McCray (Kent State), Evan Boyd (Central Michigan) and Rodney Bullard Jr. (Division II Valdosta State). The Spartans also brought in Braylon Collier, Charles Taplin and Nick Hardy in the spring and Bryson Williams this summer as true freshmen to increase the depth, speed and play-making options for quarterback Aidan Chiles.
“They're fast, they can run, for sure,” Chiles said after MSU’s first preseason practice Tuesday, July 29. “They're great additions to the offense.”
Four receivers who left MSU via transfer – Jaron Glover (Mississippi State), Aziah Johnson (North Carolina), Jaelen Smith (UTSA) and Antonio Gates Jr. (Delaware State) – combined for 36 catches, 533 yards and four scores in 2024. The Spartans also lost second-leading recevier Montorie Foster Jr. (46 catches, 588 yards and three TDs) to graduation.
But it was clear from the outset that Marsh was Chiles’ go-to target.
Attention quickly shifted toward the 6-foot-3, 203-pound wideout after a breakout performance in the Spartans’ Week 2 comeback win at Maryland. Marsh put together eight catches for 194 yards – including a late fourth-quarter, game-tying 77-yard touchdown from Chiles – en route to winning Big Ten and national freshman of the week honors.
That accounted for nearly 30% of Marsh’s 649 receiving yards and nearly 20% of his 41 catches, both program records for a true freshman and team highs in 2024. He also tied for the team lead in touchdown catches despite just 17 catches over the final five games (plus two of his three TDs) as secondaries deployed double teams and bracket coverage to minimize his openings.
“I really feel like we've upgraded the personnel in that room,” offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said Thursday, July 31. “And definitely having someone opposite – a couple people – opposite of Nick to where, if they double-team, we've got something else or the run game to take advantage. I'm excited about that.”
Alante Brown, who opted to come back for a sixth year, is the only other experienced returning receiver beside Marsh; he managed just two catches for 20 yards in 2024. So MSU went out and added a variety of different body types for Chiles to have options.
Kelly, who began his college career at Auburn, earned first-team All-Conference USA last season in his only year at MTSU. The 6-foot, 187-pound senior had 53 catches, 869 yards and four touchdowns last season. Junior McCray (5-10, 168) was a two-time All-Mid-American Conference receiver, finishing last season with 40 catches for 705 yards with nine TDs). Third-year sophomore Boyd (6-3, 210) returns home to East Lansing from CMU, where he caught 21 passes for 302 yards and two scores in just eight games in 2024. The Spartans also dipped into the lower ranks to grab the senior Bullard (6-foot, 180) after he produced 42 catches for 1,001 yards – a 23.8 yards-per-catch average – and 12 TDs in leading Valdosta State to the Division II national title game.
“You got Evan Boyd, a big guy who can catch the ball anytime you need him. He's a big target,” Chiles said. “Rod, Omari and Chrishon, they're all fast. They can all go. Omari is an older guy, he knows his way around and he gets open. And then Rod and Chrishon, they're just fast, man. They know one speed, and it's just a beautiful thing to see.
“And it's just it's also scary thing to see if you have defense. That's what we want, though. We want to put fear in defenses, so that's what we're going to try and do with this offense.”
Lindgren also pointed out Taplin (6-foot, 178) as a freshman showing explosive play-making ability in the first days of camp after he enrolled in January and went through spring ball.
“We really like the group we brought in,” Lindgren said. “I think we hit on all four of those (transfers). Each has their different skill set, but, man, you bring in guys that have a little bit experience that have been productive at the college level. Really, all those guys came in, picked it up, had a pro mentality as far as coming in, picking up the system.”
Of course, getting Marsh to take the next step also is a key to unlocking the type of vertical passing attack Lindgren hopes to deploy with Chiles, who in his first year as a starting QB helped the Spartans rank 79th in passing (218.1 yards per game) but just 110th in total offense (333.4 yards) and 123rd out of 133 Football Bowl Subdivision programs in scoring (19.3 points). That starts, Lindgren believes, by moving Marsh around the formations, through all three receiver spots, to get him into advantageous matchups.
“It was like, ‘Hey, man, we're gonna move you around. You've been in it now for a year, you're very comfortable with it,’” Lindgren said. “And I think the beauty and the system that we run is being able to be very multiple formational (and) personnel wise. … And he's had a really good attitude about it. And then for (coaches), it's challenging him in those areas and seeing what routes fit his skill set, because we got some pretty other good guys, too, that I feel like can do some of that stuff.”
Marsh said he believes MSU’s offense “is becoming a little bit more explosive day by day” while adding that feels “a little bit of pressure” to become a bigger presence. He remains confident he can handle the responsibility of his growing presence and prominence and take the next step to stardom.
“I feel like I've grown smarter as far as reading defenses and just slowing down the game a bit,” he said. “Everybody keeps saying they want to move fast and play fast. But to move rast and play fast, you need to slow down and actually realize what's going on.”
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football hopes new WRs can free Nick Marsh for big gain
Category: General Sports
