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Published Jan 13, 2025
Michigan State Transfer Outlook: Wide receiver Omari Kelly
Dylan Callaghan-Croley  •  Spartans Illustrated
Recruiting Writer

Spartans Illustrated continues its series of individual reviews of each member of the Michigan State Spartans' 2025 transfer portal class.

After starting with running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver, we move on to wide receiver Omari Kelly, the Spartans' first transfer portal commitment of the offseason. Kelly pledged to MSU on Dec. 15, 2024.

According to Rivals, Kelly is considered a four-star transfer wide receiver and the No. 104 player overall in the transfer portal.

To track all of Michigan State’s transfer portal activity, please visit the Spartans Illustrated Transfer Portal Tracker.

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CAREER OVERVIEW

Michigan State will be the third program that Kelly has been a part of in his collegiate career. He spent time at Auburn from 2021 through 2023 and Middle Tennessee State in 2024.

After signing with the Tigers as a four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle, Kelly spent three seasons with the Tigers He played in 17 games with Auburn and recorded five receptions for 101 yards.

Kelly would enter the transfer portal following the 2023 season with hopes of finding more playing time. He would ultimately transfer to Middle Tennessee State.

This past fall, Kelly played in 11 games, starting nine games, and had a breakout 2024 season for the Blue Raiders. He recorded 53 receptions for 869 yards (16.4 yards per catch) and four touchdowns.

HOW DOES KELLY FIT THE SPARTANS' ROSTER?

Wide receiver was not necessarily a strong suit for Michigan State in 2024, outside of the promise true freshman Nick Marsh showed and a solid redshirt senior season from Montorie Foster Jr.

This past season, the Spartans only had three wide receivers who played in 11 or more games, and only four with nine or more games. With Foster exhausting his eligibility, and several wideouts from the 2024 roster entering the transfer portal in Antonio Gates Jr. (who had not been part of the team since October of 2024), Jaron Glover, Aziah Johnson and Jaelen Smith, depth in the room took a hit. Wide receiver was a key position of need for the Spartans this offseason, and they attacked it.

Now as the dust settles in the winter cycle, the Spartans have added four transfer receivers to their room: Kelly Chrison McCray (Kent State), Evan Boyd (Central Michigan) and Rodney Bullard (Valdosta State).

While the four incoming transfers will each compete for roles, Kelly has a strong chance of immediately earning a starting role and being an impact receiver for the program in 2025.

With the Spartans, Kelly won't necessarily be expected to be the No. 1 wide receiver. That honor will likely be for Marsh, who was among the Big Ten's most explosive wide receivers in 2024. That being said, Kelly will most likely still have an impact and meaningful role within the Spartans' passing attack. He will likely play on the outside opposite of Marsh, with McCray potentially playing in the slot.

Kelly and Marsh will lead the wide receivers room for the Spartans in 2025, alongside McCray, Boyd, Bullard, Alante Brown and others.

WHAT SHOULD EXPECTATIONS BE FOR KELLY?

Making the jump from the Group of Five level to the now Power Four level always comes with unique challenges. Playing against higher-level athletes consistently can cause struggles for many players making the jump. Notably, however, Kelly, already has the experience of playing against Power Four competition with Auburn, which should help make that adjustment easier.

We wouldn't necessarily recommend expecting Kelly to match his 2024 numbers with Middle Tennessee State, but in his final year of eligibility, the former four-star recruit finding his way toward 40 or 45 receptions for 400, 500 or more yards would be a fair baseline projection. He certainly has the potential to put up higher numbers, however, especially with opposing defenses having to give attention to Marsh, McCray and others on the offense.

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