Michigan State football: Nick Marsh hints at massive 2025 season

The success of Michigan State football in 2025 revolves around Nick Marsh’s ability at wide receiver. That is no secret, and the 18-year-old soon-to-be-sophomore is one of the many Spartans that we have seen featured in Michigan State’s offseason workouts via their X account. With spring practices still another month out, it is up to the players themselves to refine their technique, as the focus of these workouts are just that: working on strength and conditioning.

Marsh is no exception, as revealed by a Spartan wideout that many will recognize: Mark Dell.

The future of the offense resides with Marsh

Nick Marsh had a quiet introduction to his Spartan career, with a single catch for 11 yards in the season opener. However, his follow up game was anything but quiet: Marsh put up the second-best single-game performance by a true freshman wide receiver in program history against Maryland. Marsh had eight catches for 194 yards and a touchdown, nearly identical numbers to Ricky White’s game against Michigan (coincidentally, in his second career game as well) in 2020.

The expectations were through the roof for the true freshman Marsh after this game, and he delivered, recording over 50 receiving yards in four more games and never being held without a catch in every game he participated in. Unsurprisingly, Marsh shattered Michigan State’s true freshman receiving records. In fact, Marsh’s 641 yards and three touchdowns nearly triples the receiving yardage output of the last three years (2021-2023) of true freshman pass-catchers for Michigan State football (225 yards, 3 touchdowns). Considering this total includes the No. 33 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Keon Coleman, that is quite the statement.

With Montorie Foster Jr. and Zach Gillespie graduated, as well as Aziah Johnson, Jaron Glover, and Jaelen Smith all transferring out, Marsh is the de facto No. 1 wide receiver for MSU in 2025. The entire depth chart around him from last year is gone. That is not to say the talent is missing. He gains transfers Chrishon McCray, Omari Kelly, Evan Boyd, and Rod Bullard, as well as incoming freshman Bryson Williams and Braylon Collier, but it is clear the future of the program resides with No. 6.

Nick Marsh has a training mentor you might recognize: Mark Dell

This offseason, his mother has been one of the best follows on X, and yesterday she spoke on Nick in this tweet:

Son called me this morning and told me
Ma this season gone be different, I'm different, my body and my strength is different. Something has unlocked Ma… I've tapped in to another level, but you know me, not gone talk too much about it…but they definitely finna feel me!
You… pic.twitter.com/xHn5zqYRpj

— MamaTron_210 (@MamaTron210) February 5, 2025

Former Spartan star wide receiver Mark Dell quickly chimed in, saying he worked with the incoming star for two hours, and in a follow up, said “jus(t) watch how he cut up in spring ball.” Dell had a successful career with Michigan State football, recording over 2,000 career receiving yards and a dozen touchdowns in the green and white at the start of the Mark Dantonio era.

In all, if his family, coaches, teammates, and former Spartan stars are all saying Nick Marsh is that guy, and the future, who are we to doubt them? Expect a big spring and summer out of Nick Marsh, and an even bigger fall when the lights truly come on. The expectations are lofty for the rising sophomore, and for good reason.