by The rapid decline of Michigan State football is unfortunate in and of itself, especially with the Mel Tucker scandal taking the wind out of the program’s sails. Let’s not forget that just three seasons ago the Spartans went 11-2, won the Peach Bowl, knocked off Harbaugh and a playoff-bound Michigan team, and finished the season ranked 9th in the AP poll. Now a rebuild is in store.
Speaking of that 2021 season, people forget about how loaded that MSU receiving corps really was. To be fair, it never really came to fruition until this past season once two former Spartans balled out at the college level, but still, this group was special…
WR1: Jayden Reed (59 rec 1,026 yards 10 TD 17.4 AVG)
WR2: Jalen Nailor (37 rec 695 yards 6 TD 18.8 AVG)
TE: Connor Heyward (35 rec 326 yards 2 TD)
-Keon Coleman (Appeared in 10 games as true freshman; 7 rec 50 yards TD)
-Ricky White (Redshirted)
That’s three NFL players and two more receivers who will be playing on Sundays very shortly. Of course, Coleman was one of the top wide outs in the entire nation this past season, hauling in 50 passes for 658 yards and an ACC-high 11 touchdowns. He was a First Team All-ACC selection and is regarded as one of the top WR prospects in this upcoming NFL Draft.
White balled out as well, earning unanimous First Team All-Mountain West and Third Team AP All-American honors while posting a gaudy 81-1,386-7 stat line. He was also included on PFF’s Top 10 returning receivers list:
Oh, and let’s not forget that Sparty had Heisman finalist running back Kenneth Walker carrying the rock this 2021 season too!
In retrospect, this was certainly one of the more talented Big 10 offenses (outside of Ohio State and/or Michigan) that I’ve seen in quite some time. Well worth the share in my opinion.
