4-star WR Nick Marsh stays home, commits to Michigan State

After initially decommitting in March, River Rouge (Mich.) four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh has announced that he has recommitted to the Michigan State Spartans. 

Marsh, who originally committed to the Spartans in July of last year, reopened his commitment in March. He took official visits to Pittsburgh and Penn State before rounding out the month of June with an official visit to East Lansing. According to Marsh, the official visit isn’t what necessarily put the Spartans ahead of the rest. Rather, a list of pros and cons — chief among those the proximity to home — led to his current pledge to Mel Tucker’s staff.

“Honestly, I’m not even sure if it was the ‘OV’ that did it,” Marsh told On3. “It was just a long talk and conversation that I had with my mom. We just got to breaking down the pros and cons. Michigan State stood on top, so that was one of the biggest factors. The pros and cons of it — just being close to home, having that hometown advantage sometimes. I’ve got people who root for me close by, so that fanbase is going to be a lot bigger. That part really stood out to me.

“Another thing is, I know that I could go to Michigan State and I could be that guy. That was another big thing about it. That’s what I want to do with going to college, I just want to be that guy and get noticed. I want to be noticed, I think that’s the best place to do it.”

Marsh: “Why not just stay home?”

Marsh said that he was able to connect with the Penn State coaching staff on his official visit, going as far as to say he could’ve seen himself in State College. But when he considered the similarities between the two programs, he thought, “Why not just stay home?” And even after decommitting from the Spartans, Michigan State always kept open its line of communication with Marsh.

“They stayed with me consistently all the way through,” Marsh said. “They showed me that I was always going to be the No. 1 priority whether I decommitted or not. Even after I decommitted, the communication stayed open. I got to talking to coaches — coach (Courtney Hawkins) and coach (Mel Tucker). We just kept talking through the process. They showed me that I was the No. 1 priority.”

Marsh emphasized that going through the process with Michigan State felt more like family than with any other school. Combine that with the numerous trips he has taken to East Lansing, and it made for a comfortable decision.

“I’m familiar with a lot of people up there because I’m from the area,” Marsh said. “It’s just like family as soon as you come. We built that relationship over time and still was able to build more and more every time I came. So, that was a big part of it.”

For Marsh, there was not one specific moment that sealed the deal. That list of pros and cons, the conversations with his mom and Mel Tucker — all of it built up and led to his final decision.

“This one I feel like it’s the one. I just needed a little more time to think about it at first,” Marsh said. “Now, I’ve stuck with my decision. I just feel like it’s time to grind and get to work and be ready to play. I’m final with my decision. It’s been a pretty rough recruitment process, it’s been pretty fun. I got through it and I put all the pros and cons together and I made my decision. 

“I think I made the best decision for me, a great decision for my family. Being close to home was a big factor.”