Michigan State WR room stepping up while Montorie Foster sits with minor injury
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith walked away from the Spartans’ first fall scrimmage pleased with development of the team’s most competitive position groups, including wide receiver.
Over the next few days, Michigan State’s receivers will have an opportunity to take on larger roles in practice with veteran Montorie Foster sidelined with a minor injury. Smith did not reveal the exact nature of Foster’s injury during his press conference on Monday.
“The receiver position, Montorie’s taking a couple of days to heal up a little bit, not long-term,” Smith said. “But that’s been awesome for more receivers to get opportunities. That position group has been pretty competitive.”
Michigan State escaped the scrimmage with zero long-term injuries, Smith confirmed.
“Nothing in the long-term,” Smith said. “Getting to this point in camp, we definitely have some guys who we’re being smart with, bumps and bruises. But no guys are missing the season right now.”
Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins will continue to observe and evaluate his options at the position while Foster sits for the next few days. Redshirt sophomore Jaron Glover, freshman Nick Marsh and redshirt senior Alante Brown are among the plethora of receivers vying for a spot in the starting lineup ahead of the season opener against Florida Atlantic, which kicks off in 18 days.
Redshirt sophomore Antonio Gates Jr. and redshirt freshmen Aziah Johnson and Jaelen Smith are also in the two-deep picture.
But Michigan State will need a healthy Foster to maximize its passing game this season. With Tre Mosley sidelined for parts of last season, Foster emerged as a top receiving target for Michigan State as a redshirt junior. The Cleveland native caught 43 passes for 576 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games last season.
Foster returned to East Lansing with goals of stepping into an even larger role this season. Coaches have praised his leadership abilities and consistency to this point in camp. With Foster momentarily sidelined, Michigan State’s coaching staff will look to see if anyone can potentially make a leap in his absence.
“We have some guys who (we know) are going to start, but not at every position,” Smith said. “I mean, this thing is competitive. And we talked last night as a team, we want to be a squad where we have multiple guys who can go in the game. We want to be playing full speed with great effort. Once in a while you’re going to get gassed and feel confident with the next guy going in the game.”
