2024 Rivals250 WR Nick Marsh recommits to Michigan State: 'This is home'
Home is where the heart is. That statement rings true for 2024 four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh and his family. Marsh has once again given his verbal commitment to Michigan State, he announced live at River Rouge High School on Friday.
Marsh originally committed to Michigan State on July 31, 2022, but backed off of his pledge this past March. After going through the recruiting process, he now knows, undoubtedly, that East Lansing is where he plans to play his college football.
It is rare to see a player who once decommitted later recommit to the same program, but it was always a stronger possibility with Marsh. He maintained throughout the process that Michigan State would remain a top school for him, and he was honest about that.
"The (main) factor was this is home," Marsh told Spartans Illustrated about the decision to recommit to Michigan State. "I’m close enough to home (in River Rouge) and far enough away for space. I feel like this is a place where my brand will explode and where they love me and I can get that training from Coach Hawk (wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins)."
After committing to MSU very early on the first time around (he was actually the first 2024 prospect to give Michigan State a verbal pledge), it was important for Marsh to go through the whole recruiting process after his decommitment. He needed to visit other schools, build relationships with other coaches and find the best program for him. Now that he’s done that, it reaffirmed the love that he had for Michigan State.
"Of course I thought that (going through the entire recruiting process) was important," Marsh noted. "It gave me the opportunity to see what was out there and what I really looked for in a school."
Marsh was a top priority for Michigan State, even after the decommitment, and this is a huge in-state recruiting win for the Spartans.
A Rivals250 prospect, Marsh currently ranks as the No. 54 recruit overall in the nation. He also ranks as the No. 2 player in the state of Michigan and the No. 11 wide receiver in the 2024 class.
Marsh took official visits to Penn State, Pittsburgh and Kansas before saving Michigan State for last. He took his official visit to East Lansing during the weekend of June 23 through June 25. All four of those schools were announced as finalists for Marsh, along with Oregon.
Marsh had nearly 40 scholarship offers in total. In addition to those programs mentioned above, he had offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas, Miami (FL.), Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue, Mississippi, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kentucky and several others.
After the official visit, Marsh's mother, known as "Mama Tron," discussed the trip with Spartans Illustrated.
"One thing I love about Michigan State is that it's always a family vibe and we always feel at home," Mama Tron said after the latest trip to MSU.
Marsh was able to bring his entire family on the official visit to Michigan State. While Mama Tron and his three sisters (Nylah, Amar'i and Jamir) went on all of the official visits, Marsh was also able to take his grandmother (Karen Wilson) and aunt (Jeamier Gentry) with him to MSU.
That family dynamic, and the fact that his relatives can easily get to Michigan State compared to the other schools was an important piece in Marsh's decision.
"It was great being able to take the family on the OV to really give them an experience that they never had and to show them what I'm going to accomplish and give them a break," Marsh said about the official visit.
Additionally, the bond between Marsh and the coaching staff never changed, even after the decommitment.
The constant support, communication and overall love he received from head coach Mel Tucker, wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins, assistant wide receivers coach Tino Smith II, offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and the rest of the staff — and the vision they have for him — played a big role in Marsh's decision to once again commit to Michigan State.
"I’m close with really everyone on the staff," Marsh said about MSU. "Me and Coach Tuck, Hawkins and Tino are all pretty tight. We have a really good relationship."
Mama Tron detailed the relationship between her son and the Michigan State coaches in late June.
"Coach Tino's that dude," Mama Tron said about Smith. "And Nick has had a relationship with Hawk since day one and the line of communication has always been there between the two. And I know how passionate Coach Hawkins is about Nick and his development. So from my understanding, I'm sure they have a tight-knit relationship. When we got there, it was like they never skipped a beat.
"(Coach Tucker) and Nick, if you saw the video, it's like nothing changed. He actually got Tucker to do a lean back (dance). It is just always love. It has never stopped, even through the decommitment. And even though this is our first experience with that, it's like, where do you go when they still have arms wide open?"
The answer to Mama Tron's question was, indeed, Michigan State.
Marsh also felt consistent love from Michigan State fans. Starting from before his initial commitment and all the way up until now, Marsh always felt support from MSU fans, even after he decommitted.
"Man, the love from Spartan Nation is amazing," Marsh said. "They are nothing less than family. They showed consistent love through the process. They put their faith in me and never wavered and always had my back. That was also another big part of my commitment."
The 6-foot-3, 207-pound River Rouge standout was selected as a first-team All-State honoree as a junior in 2022 by both the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA) and the Associated Press.
Nicknamed "Megatron," Marsh is a big, physical and dominant wide receiver who also has the speed to stretch the defense. He can beat defenders in multiple ways.
"My game is deep threat and contested catches," Marsh said. "I can run really great routes to get separation and get yards after the catch."
Michigan State had an extremely successful month of official visits, which continues to show results in July. With Marsh now rejoining the group, MSU's 2024 recruiting class has now grown to 12 commitments. Prior to June 14, the Spartans had just three prospects publicly committed.
Marsh is now the highest-ranked player in the Spartans’ 2024 class. He is the second player Michigan State has added to the class this week, as three-star defensive back Justin Denson Jr. committed to the Spartans on the Fourth of July.
In addition to Marsh, Michigan State currently has verbal commitments from Denson, four-star running back Anthony Carrie, four-star cornerback Jaylen Thompson, three-star quarterback Henry Hasselbeck, three-star defensive back Syair Torrence, three-star offensive lineman Andrew Dennis, three-star offensive lineman Logan Bennett, three-star offensive lineman Mercer Luniewski, three-star offensive lineman Charlton Luniewski, three-star defensive back Reggie Powers III and three-star cornerback Camren Campbell.
Marsh has a tight relationship with several of the current commits, and is excited to getting to know the others. Now that he is back in the fold, Marsh plans to get back to helping Michigan State recruit his peers.
"I’m pretty close with some of the other commits," Marsh mentioned. "We chop it up a lot and I'm looking forward to grabbing some other recruits."
Marsh wanted to leave one last message for Michigan State fans:
"Thank you Spartan Nation! Let’s make a run! Go Green!"