Could Michigan State football target pair of Ohio State WR transfers?

Could Michigan State football be in the market for one or both of the Ohio State wide receiver transfers in the portal?

It is no secret that Keon Coleman entering the transfer portal is a huge loss for Michigan State football. He would have been the top wide receiver on our team and is likely going to be selected in the first two rounds of next year’s NFL draft.

Michigan State’s coaching staff now has to turn to the portal to try and find a replacement for their best offensive weapon. Thankfully there are plenty of options available and we won’t even have to look outside of the division for some great prospects.

A pair of Ohio State freshman wide receivers recently entered the transfer portal and they are both great candidates to replace Coleman. Ohio State is WRU, it is no secret how great they are at recruiting and developing that position. If Ohio State is interested in a receiver that is usually a pretty good indicator that they are the real deal.

Caleb Burton was the first of two Buckeye receivers to enter the portal on April 25. Out of high school, he was ranked as a four-star prospect and the 132nd-best player in the country, per 247Sports. Burton has all the tools to be an elite receiver even with his smaller 6-foot, 170-pound frame. He has the ability to play both in the slot and outside and is able to go up and get the ball in 50/50 contested throws, similar to what we were used to seeing with Jayden Reed.

Burton did not register any stats in his true freshman season and that is no surprise with the logjam of elite athletes OSU has at this position. But I believe Burton is the real deal and deserves the hype out of high school that he got as the No. 21 receiver in the class.

Kaleb Brown did not wait long to join his teammate in the portal, announcing his intentions to move to a new team on April 30. Brown, also a member of the 2022 class, was ranked even higher than Burton, coming in as the 13th-best receiver and No. 79 overall player in the entire class. He possesses a more “college-ready” frame listed at 5-foot-10 and 197 pounds. Brown is also a more versatile prospect as he played a little running back in high school as well. Even though he will likely only focus on being a receiver in college, I still love the idea of using him in many different ways.

Brown projects as a slot receiver in the college game and would be a major “yards after catch” threat with his experience as a running back in high school. Brown did record one catch for five yards in his freshman season, but similarly to Burton the OSU wide receiver room is too loaded for any true freshmen to get many opportunities.

The top priority is convincing Coleman to return to Michigan State football. He has the experience and history in the program that makes wanting him to return the obvious first choice. But if Keon decides to officially move on, the Spartans may not have to look out of the division to find his replacement, and Burton and Brown would be a great place to start and build on for years to come.