EAST LANSING — Aidan Chiles joined Michigan State football a little over a year ago and immediately found a football brother in Nick Marsh. The two quickly formed a bond on and off the field, and the Spartans’ passing game appeared headed toward big things.LING
Until opponents caught on to their connection.
That, along with attrition via transfers, required Jonathan Smith and his staff to go out and bring in more pass-catching weapons to offset the additional attention being paid to Marsh.
MSU added an influx of transfer receivers in the offseason — Omari Kelly, Chrishon McCray, Evan Boyd and Rodney Bullard Jr. The hope: That those experienced veterans help bring along Marsh and a group of younger wideouts to maximize the potential of Chiles and the passing attack this fall.
“We watch a lot of film together, so the chemistry is building,” Marsh said Tuesday. “But these guys, they're animals. They're in the film room every day, they're grinding. … You can just see how much detail they're putting into the work and craft.
“I think the chemistry of the room is getting better day in and out.”
In a breakout debut season, Marsh led the Spartans in catches (41) and receiving yards (649), both program records for true freshmen. He also tied for the team lead in touchdown catches.
“I think we need to come out and just do what we want to do, what we know we can do,” Chiles said of his chemistry with Marsh. “Nick has a lot of ability, and I feel like we can use that and we can grow from what we did last year. He's gonna be a great target this year for sure.”
But Marsh’s sudden production in 2024 — starting with an eight-catch, 194-yard breakout performance at Maryland, in his second collegiate game — soon after made the 6-foot-3, 201-pounder a focal point for defensive coordinators. After an eight-catch, 113-yard game against Iowa, Marsh managed just 17 catches over the final five games (though he did have two of his three TDs) as the Spartans finished 5-7 and without a bowl appearance for the third straight season.
“Nick had a great year,” MSU offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said Tuesday. “But I still think there's a lot to his game that he can take to the next level, as far as detail of routes, technique things that I think ...
