Germie Bernard’s journey to Michigan State had more twists and turns than most incoming members of Mel Tucker’s second recruiting class.
Bernard, a four-star wide receiver from Las Vegas, who committed to Washington last summer and signed with the Pac-12 program despite a coaching change, was released from his National Letter of Intent after his position coach and primary recruiter Junior Adams left Seattle to take a co-offensive coordinator position at Oregon.
“I really didn’t get the call until the day that I landed there,” said Bernard of the unexpected coaching change. “I left the first (Jan. 1) and I got the call (from Adams) when I landed in Seattle, so it was emotional. We got there and I was able to talk to coach (Kalen) DeBoer, the head coach. I was able to talk to him and then to some players and seeing where their mind was.”
Bernard also consulted heavily with his parents, while still on campus at Washington, where he was enrolled but hadn’t yet started classes. If Bernhard had started taking classes at Washington, it would have been much more difficult for him to transfer without penalty.
“I took everything into consideration and talked to my parents to see what was best for me,” Bernard said. “We stayed there for a couple of days. I was still enrolled in school, but I didn’t go to any classes because if I went to classes, I wouldn’t be able to get out of my NLI. I didn’t go to any classes, and after a couple of days went by, me and my parents came up with a final decision to go back home.”
After leaving Washington and returning home, Bernard reached out to Michigan State offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and asked him if the Spartans still had room for him in their 2022 recruiting class.
“I was able to talk to Coach Jay and ask him if I still had an opportunity to be a Spartan, and I got the opportunity to be a Spartan and never looked back,” Bernard said.
Michigan State first began recruiting Bernard within days of Washington firing head coach Jimmy Lake shortly after he was suspended for a sideline incident in which he shoved a player during a 35-30 loss to Arizona State in mid-November.
“I didn’t really open it up, but I kind of opened it up, and Coach Jay was one of the first people I talked to,” said Bernard of his recruitment. “Then he came down and met with me. I was able to meet with him in person. Then I started connecting with coach Hawk (Courtney Hawkins). Then I connected with Coach Tuck (Mel Tucker). I really felt like if I came here it would be a good decision.”
Bernard ultimately stuck with his initial commitment because of his relationship with Adams.
“My decision leaving or staying with Washington was based upon my position coach, coach Adams,” Bernard said. “When he said he was going to stay, I said, ‘I’m sorry Coach Jay, I think I’m going to stay.’ Everything was cool and cordial. After the situation went down, I called him and asked him, ‘do I still have an opportunity to be a Spartan?’ He said, ‘yeah, of course.’”
Some players that had experienced what Bernard did with Washington may have been hesitant to jump to another school as early as he did. Enrolling early, however, was part of a plan Bernard had for himself and he was determined to stick with his personal vision.
“Ever since my junior year, I always wanted to leave early,” Bernard said. “I knew that I wanted to leave high school and enroll in college. Through that process my mom was thinking that maybe you should step back and take time off from this. I told her, ‘I still want to be in school whether it is here or somewhere else.’”
Bernard is the highest ranked member of a four-man Michigan State wide receiver class that appears to have substantial playmaking potential. That class includes the in-state due of Tyrell Henry and Antonio Gates Jr., as well as Florida speedster Jaron Glover.
With class of Bernard, Henry, Gates, and Glover goes a long way toward addressing program needs at the wide receiver position and ensuring that Michigan State retains the big-play production that was a calling card for the Spartan offense last season with talented wideouts Jayden Reed, Speedy Nailor, and Tre Mosley as well as promising underclassmen in Montorie Foster and Keon Coleman.
“You always have to have guys that can make plays, be difference makers, and can win the one-on-ones at the skill positions,” Mel Tucker said in a National Signing Day interview with Rivals.com analyst Adam Gorney. “Our goal is to go out and get the best players we can find. In order for us to win championships, we have to have as good a players or better players than the people we play against. That’s the reality of the situation. It’s all about recruiting, and once we get them here our job as coaches is to teach, develop, and motivate our players. We are very, very aggressive in recruiting. We are going to get skill guys. We are going to make sure we have backs, quarterbacks, and we are going to use our tight end. We always have a tight end on the field, or two. We are going to make sure we have receivers that can stretch the field and make plays.”
Bernard sees himself as a downfield playmaker, capable of stretching the field as a deep-ball threat.
“Definitely, deep balls, that is one of my main strengths,” Bernard said. “I can go up and win 50/50 balls. I can outrun guys once my turnover speed gets going. My hands and how smart I am on the field in knowing what to do against what coverage.”
Nobody was happier to see Bernard sign with Michigan State than freshman quarterback Katin Houser, who saw up close what his freshman teammate can do when the two were high school teammates at Liberty High in Las Vegas.
“He’s definitely a game-changer,” Houser said. “Just playing with him, giving him the ball in space, I feel like he can make a play out of nothing and as far as match-ups, if he is on the outside one-on-one I am going to take that match-up most of the time. He’s that good of a player and I have that much trust in him. We had 7-on-7 today, and he was already making plays against DB’s and such. His impact in the first couple of weeks has been insane and I can’t wait to see him grow as a player.”
Bernard took the plunge, committing to Michigan State before setting foot on campus. Much of what he knew about Michigan State prior to arriving on campus came from conversations with Houser.
“He was already committed, so I was asking him, how do you like it out there?” Bernard said. “He’s from Vegas too, so if he said he liked it, I knew I was going to like it too. Of course, that’s my guy. So, I was like, I’m going to run with it.”
Bernard’s relationship with Houser was a factor in his decision to join Tucker’s program.
“We’ve known each other since 6th grade,” Bernard said. “We’ve been playing together, and ever since then we’ve had a bond.”
Now, Bernard and Houser are roommates.
“We help each other out,” Bernard said. “We go and get each other food and take turns taking out trash, so that is the way we help each other. Everything else is a personal adjustment.”
With the Washington drama behind him, Bernard is settling into the grind of life as a mid-year enrollee balancing class and off-season workouts.
Adjusting to winter in Michigan, however, has been a little bit tougher.
“It has been kind of hard getting used to the weather,” Bernard said. “I’m from the West Coast, from Vegas, and it is the desert out there and it is never this cold. It’s really hot. The other thing has been my sleeping. My sleeping is pretty bad because we are three hours behind in Vegas, so when it’s 12 out here, it’s nine back there. It’s just hard to sleep, but I’m getting used to it. The cold, I’m getting used to it.”
Aside from the weather, Bernard is pleased to be where he is as he embarks upon his college football career.
“I’m really blessed to be in a program like this,” Bernard said. “Everything here is like family. I really truly think that these guys are my brothers and I am happy to be here.”
Bernard has also quickly developed a bond with his position coach Courtney Hawkins.
“He is very fair, straightforward,” Bernard said. “Whether or not you are a freshman or senior, if you are good enough he is going to play you. It’s not like, he’s older he’s going to play, and that’s one of the main things. If you are good enough and you are showing that you are good and you can compete then you should be able to play.”
Bernard has high hopes for himself at Michigan State, but he also understands there is a process required to get where he wants to go.
“Coming into a big program, I know that I’m not going to be a big-time guy right away,” Bernard said. “I know what I can do, and what my abilities are. Every day, I have to come in and work and prove myself, show what I can do.”