Michigan State Football Assistant Coach Impressing Prospects on Recruiting Trail

Michigan State Football Assistant Coach Impressing Prospects on Recruiting Trail originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

While everyone likely knows their favorite football team's head coach, not everyone can name the list of assistant coaches also on staff for a program. But at the collegiate level, much of the heavy lifting that's done in landing big-time talent on the recruiting trail comes from those lesser-known position coaches. One needs to look no further than Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins.

Hawkins is a beloved figure in the Michigan State program due to his history with the Spartans -- the Flint, Mich. native played his collegiate ball in East Lansing, and was a second-round selection in the 1992 NFL Draft. He represented his alma mater in the NFL for nine seasons and returned to Michigan State as a receivers coach in 2020. He was one of two coaches retained by the Spartans when Mel Tucker was fired by the program in 2023 and current head coach Jonathan Smith took over the team in 2024.

Hawkins has been hard at work on the recruiting trail, and his efforts have made a major impact on the team's recruiting efforts. He is the lead recruiter for the Spartans' recent four-star 2026 wideout commit Samson Gash, and has also played a major role in landing current freshman wide receiver Braylon Collier -- the latter of whom credits his relationship with Hawkins for landing him at the school.

“You know, he is straight up with — he don’t sugarcoat anything,” Collier said. “And, you know, he told me it was an honor, it would be an honor to coach me. And I told him it would be an honor to play under his wing.”

And Hawkins' work on the 2027 recruiting class is already attracting some big-time targets for the Spartans, such as Barrington, Ill. native Austin Coles. Coles already holds 13 Power 4 scholarship offers (including Michigan State), and hauled in 43 receptions for 896 yards and six touchdowns during his sophomore campaign at the prep level.

In a recent interview with Michigan State Spartan On SI, Coles discussed his recruitment process so far and his offer from Michigan State, during which he took time to point out the work Hawkins has put in while recruiting him.

"Coach Hawk was great when I was up there this spring," Coles said. "I look forward to building a relationship with him. He seemed genuinely interested in me, and I liked his vibe a lot. He made me feel comfortable and welcomed, and that is something that makes me want to learn more about their program."

To see proof of how successful Hawkins is as a coach once he lands such talents, you can look no further than Michigan State alum Jayden Reed. Reed became a single-season 1,000-yard receiver and a second-round NFL Draft selection under the standout coach's tutelage, and last fall Reed said that no coach has had a bigger impact on his career than Hawkins.

Michigan State WR coach Courtney Hawkins produces NFL stars if you haven’t taken notice yet

from Jayden Reed on the St Browns pod pic.twitter.com/hE09fMvjgo

— MSE (@MSE_in_EL) October 9, 2024

I had a real genuine relationship with him," Reed said. "He just put me in the right mindset to get prepared for the league and stuff like that. So I'd say he made the biggest impact as a coach."

So when Michigan State fans are watching the Spartans' receiver room come up with big-time catches in important games this fall, try to remember where it starts -- with the work of Courtney Hawkins.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.