EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State football brought in several wide receivers by way of the transfer portal this winter.
Of the four, the one that has probably gone the most unnoticed by those outside the program is Rodney Bullard Jr., a player who comes from the Division II level, having spent three seasons at Valdosta State.
Nonetheless, Bullard thrived for the program last year, earning first-team All-Gulf South Conference honors and helping lead his team to the Division II National Championship Game.
The graduate transfer addressed the media following the Spartans' 13th spring practice on Tuesday. You can watch some of his availability below:
Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins also spoke to reporters on Tuesday. Below is a partial transcript from his availability:
Q: What are the next steps for Nick Marsh?
Hawkins: "I mean, the next steps for him is, for one, is just still fine-tuning from a route standpoint. Challenging him to step out of his comfort zone, I need him to lead, come and lead the room.
"Also, just playing fast being a playmaker, being that guy that we know on third down, the rock's coming to you. You got to get open, man. And having that mindset, when he checks all those boxes -- right now, just continuing to get the game to slow down for him so he's understanding what's happening on the back end, the more you understand it, the slower the game appears to you as a wideout.
"So, we're constantly pushing that right now. And I think with him, man, the sky's the limit for his game, man. I think he can do a whole bunch of stuff."
Q: How did Bullard come on your radar?
Hawkins: "Obviously, he had a great year. Put up some tremendous numbers, and he was pointed out to me, actually, by Coach [Aaron] Pflugrad. He's like, 'Hawk, man, there's this kid from Valdosta [State], you need to take a look at him.' And broke him down, like, 'Hey, man, I like how he moves.' And gave him a call, and we got him up here, and he's a Spartan now.
"So obviously, we did our homework on him. He's a great kid, man. He's a great kid from the standpoint of academically, just off the charts. He's a kid that, he's working hard to learn an entire offense. Excited to have him, man. He's a tremendous playmaker."
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