Michigan State made one of the biggest signings of the offseason, picking up Aidan Chiles, a sophomore quarterback from Oregon State and one of the best quarterbacks in the transfer portal. In order for Chiles to take the Spartans to glory, he must need a great receiving corps to help him.

The Michigan State receiving unit finished with 199.8 yards per game last season, good for 10th in the Big Ten. The leader in receiving yards last season was Montorie Foster Jr., who picked up 576 yards and three touchdowns.

The second best receiver in yardage was Tre Mosley with 288, followed by Jaron Glover and Christian Fitzpatrick with 261 and 252 respectively. The other receivers had 200 or less yards.

Last season, there were 15 wide receivers on the roster and Michigan State does return most players. However, some notable names headed out via the transfer portal or graduation, including Mosley, Fitzpatrick and more.

Let’s take an in-depth look at each player at the position led by wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins.

Foster Jr. is the best receiver on the Spartans. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Ohio native will likely be the top target for Chiles, and he has a lot to prove in 2024.

"I just really wasn't satisfied with last season," Foster said when asked why he chose to return to East Lansing for a fifth season. "Going through that, I didn't want to leave the fans and definitely the town of East Lansing — I love it here, my family loves it here, they come to the games all the time — so I didn't want to leave this special place, it's really special to my heart, and that's really why I came back."

Going into his fifth season, he has 838 career receiving yards. A majority of those yards (576) were from last season. Foster also had three touchdowns in 2023.

Foster Jr. will look to increase his yardage output this season, and be one of the better receivers in the Big Ten.

Glover is going into his redshirt sophomore season. Last year, he recorded 14 receptions for 261 yards. Glover was fourth on the team in receiving yards behind Foster, tight end Maliq Carr (transferred to Houston) and Mosley.

Glover briefly entered the transfer portal and even received interest from and visited Georgia before ultimately deciding to return to Michigan State under the new coaching staff.

The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Glover will likely be a top receiver again for Michigan State, barring any injury.

Antonio Gates Jr., son of 8-time Pro-Bowler Antonio Gates Sr., is ready to shine in his redshirt sophomore campaign. He recorded five receptions for 82 yards last season, and will only improve as he gains more experience.

Just like Glover, Gates Jr. (6-foot-2, 194 pounds) also entered the transfer portal before withdrawing and opting to spend the 2024 season with the Spartans.

During the spring, Gates Jr. turned some heads of the coaching staff and even some teammates, including Alante Brown.

“Antonio Gates (Jr.) is making a lot of plays,” Brown said back in April. “He's a workaholic. You know the history on his father. I believe his mindset is he’s him, he’s trying to make a name for himself. Not being just, you know, under his father’s name, so he’s definitely working hard.”

Gates Jr. should get more playing time this season, as he is one of five Spartan wide receivers who have recorded a college reception.

Brown (5-foot-11, 189 pounds) is going into his redshirt senior season at Michigan State. It will be his second season as a Spartan after transferring from Nebraska.

Previously with the Cornhuskers, he recorded 262 yards over three seasons, before making three catches for 27 yards last season at MSU. He now enters his fifth season, as he was rewarded an extra year of eligibility due to COVID.

Brown is one of the fastest players on Michigan State and Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren do like to involve speedy slot receivers in their offense.

”It gives me confidence (players similar to Brown having success in Jonathan Smith’s system) how they put guys inside, outside, put them in the back, in space or take them vertically to use their speed," Brown said in April.

Nick Marsh is the best wide receiver signing that the Spartans made this offseason. The four-star from Detroit, Mich., was a top 10 player in the state in the 2024 recruiting class, and will likely get lots of playing time at Michigan State this season.

Marsh had many other offers, including Oregon, Miami, Kansas, Auburn, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, but ultimately chose the Spartans. It wasn’t without some headlines though. Marsh originally committed to Michigan State in July 2022. He decommitted in March 2023. Then, he recommitted to the Spartans in July 2023. He stuck through his commitment despite the coaching staff change.

It was his official visit and the discussions with the new coaching staff that reiterated that Marsh wanted to stay committed to Michigan State.

“This is where I wanna be and I only see myself here,” Marsh told Spartans Illustrated after his official visit.

The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Marsh turned heads in spring ball. The early enrollee was praised by coaches and even his teammates.

“Nick is a fast learner,” Brown said in April. “He’s got good size, good hands, he’s an excellent blocker, he’s strong, he’s eager to come in and learn and he loves the game of football.”

Watch out for Marsh to be a big time player this season despite being a true freshman.

Houston native and former three-star recruit Jaelen Smith redshirted last season after playing in four games. He mostly made appearances on special teams. Smith only played three snaps at wide receiver.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Smith is a great athlete with a good combination of size, speed and physicality. As a senior in high school, he totaled over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns.

While he will likely not be a starter on this team in 2024, expect Smith to see an increase in offensive snaps.

If there is an under the radar receiver to watch, it might be former three-star recruit Aziah Johnson. The Richmond, Virginia, native played in four games last season and redshirted. When he did play, Johnson was primarily on special teams. He played two offensive snaps last season.

Johnson is one of the fastest and most athletic guys on the team. Not only was he a standout receiver in high school, he was also a great defensive back. Johnson was named first team all-region at both positions as a senior. He also earned Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Expect to see Johnson’s playing time increase this season in an offensive system that will make the most of his skill set.

Zach Gillespie (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) enters his redshirt senior campaign, but he has yet to touch the field. Gillespie originally arrived in East Lansing as a quarterback. He switched from quarterback to wide receiver during the spring of 2022. Gillespie was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team for the past three years.

Redshirt freshman Jack Yanachik, another Michigan native, went to Warren De La Salle where he had two 500-yard receiving seasons. The 6-foot-3, 191-pound wide receiver did not play last season and he will likely be buried in the depth chart again this season. Yanachik does add some depth to the position.

Grant Calcagno (6-foot, 190 pounds) is also a redshirt freshman and Michigan native. He did not play in the 2023 season. While at Rochester High School, he earned first-team Division 1 all-region honors. He ultimately committed to Michigan State over Valparaiso.

Two-star recruit Austin Clay (6-foot-1, 165 pounds) originally committed to Bowling Green in June 2023. However, after a visit to East Lansing, Clay could not pass up Jonathan Smith’s Spartans.

“Coach Smith, Coach Hawkins and the coaching staff are building a great program and it’s something I want to be part of,” Clay told Spartans Illustrated.

The speedy Clay was not an early enrollee. The most likely outcome for Clay this season will be a redshirt with minimal playing time given where he slots in on the projected depth chart.

Another skill player out of Texas, three-star Jaylan Brown (6-foot-4, 185 pounds) starred at Nacogdoches High School. He committed to the Spartans over other offers from North Texas, Washington State, and Southern.

“I honestly think Coach Smith did a great job building the staff, making everyone feel like family,” Brown told Spartans Illustrated in January.

Brown was a late addition to Michigan State’s 2024 recruiting class. As a result, he was not an early enrollee and will likely be buried in the depth chart and redshirt.

Preferred walk-on Dyson Sims (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) was offered to play at a couple non-Division I schools, but eventually committed to Michigan State and followed in the footsteps of his brother, Dion Sims, who played tight end from 2009 through 2012 and spent time in the NFL.

“I decided to join the Spartan family because the culture and energy here is just amazing,” Dyson Sims told Spartans Illustrated after he committed. “It’s also close to home. I also wanted to follow my brother’s footsteps and play here.”

Given his walk-on status, it seems rather unlikely that Sims will get significant playing time this season.

This will be a big season for the Spartans, as they need to solidify their receiving corps for the future. They have a proven piece in Foster Jr., but other players will need to step up and fill voids that the likes of Mosley and Fitzpatrick left. This is also a young group with multiple freshmen and sophomores that will be thrust into the spotlight. This is by no means Michigan State's strongest position group on offense, but there is some potential with the young pieces.

More 2024 football season preview content:

Full roster breakdown by the numbers
Breakout candidates on offense
Breaking down Michigan State's schedule
Bold predictions
Positional Preview: Quarterbacks
Positional Preview: Running backs
Positional Preview: Tight ends
Positional Preview: Offensive line
Positional Preview: Interior defensive line
Positional Preview: Defensive ends and rush ends
Positional Preview: Linebackers
Positional Preview: Defensive backs

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