Michigan State’s wide receiver race is the kind of training camp battle that can fool people into thinking the depth chart is already settled.
It isn’t.
On Monday, Chrishon McCray, Charles Taplin and Rodney Bullard Jr. were the first three wideouts to go in a drill after receivers coach Courtney Hawkins called for the starters. That’s a real clue about where things stand right now, but it’s not a final answer. In a room this fluid, one rep order in August doesn’t lock anything in place.
McCray looks like the safest bet of the bunch. He’s the top returning receiver on the roster, and he should have a strong case to lead the Spartans in receiving this fall while working from the slot. The bigger mystery has been who lines up beside him.
That uncertainty makes sense when you look at what Michigan State had to replace. Nick Marsh transferred to Indiana, and Omari Kelly is gone because of eligibility/NFL.
The portal additions brought bodies, but not a proven answer. KK Smith came from Notre Dame after working mostly as a backup or reserve, Fredrick Moore arrived from Michigan in a similar spot, and April pickup Jameel Gardner Jr. was Jackson State’s WR3 last season.
So if the opener against Toledo were tomorrow, McCray, Taplin and Bullard would likely be the first trio on the field. But that still comes with a giant asterisk.
Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said Wednesday that the job is still open.
"There's still a lot of competition and snaps to be had, and plays to be made for those guys to kind of see where they're going to be for the opener," offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said about the ongoing competition at receiver and tight end on Wednesday. "But, knowing it's a long season, we're going to need them all. They're all going to have to be ready to go."
Bullard’s situation is the one hanging over the whole conversation. He looks positioned to start in his second season with the program, but the NCAA has still not ruled on his eligibility since winter.
If that answer came down today and went the wrong way, Michigan State could lose a projected starter with three weeks left before the season. That kind of blow would have been easier to absorb in the spring or even the summer.
And even if the opening-day group looks set by the end of camp, that doesn’t mean the rotation is frozen. Position battles don’t stop once practice ends.
Last year, the separation between the starters and the backups was pretty wide. This year, whoever wins those jobs will be under more pressure every week to deliver.
Hawkins has usually leaned on his starters, but a more by-committee setup could make a lot of sense now. More receivers on the field would keep legs fresh and force opponents to prepare for more options.
That approach didn’t fit last season, when Marsh and Kelly were clearly the top two. This year, it might.
The first two games against Toledo and Eastern Michigan could give Michigan State a useful read on the room. By kickoff in Week 1, the Spartans should have a pretty good sense of who their longer-term starters are. Still, live games have a way of changing the picture fast.
And change could come from anywhere: Bullard’s waiver, a reserve making a push, a starter going quiet, or an injury. Moore, Smith or Bryson Williams could end up starting early in the year, and Samson Gash could work his way into the mix too.
The real test is bigger than just naming three starters. Michigan State needs this group to become a reliable set of playmakers for quarterback Alessio Milivojevic. Under Hawkins, receiver has usually been a strength for the Spartans, but this fall McCray and at least one more wideout have to make a major jump.
So yes, the latest look at the depth chart matters. It just doesn’t mean much if people treat it like the final word. Once the pads come on, things can shift quickly - especially when one projected starter may not even be eligible to play.
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