Top Wide Receiver Transfer Keon Coleman Had a 'Grand Scheme' To Get To Florida State

The plan was always for Coleman to finish his college career in the south.

Florida State averaged 484.2 total yards of offense and 36.1 points per game in 2022. With the bulk of that offense returning to Tallahassee and a talented group of transfers coming in, the Seminoles will field an attack that can gash defenses from anywhere on the field.

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All eyes are on the wide receivers after Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman committed to the program last month. Joining a room that includes Johnny Wilson, Kentron Poitier, and Winston Wright, among others, there should be plenty of fireworks coming to Doak Campbell Stadium this fall.

The Louisiana native shocked the Spartans when he entered the portal at the end of April. However, this is a move that Coleman had been planning for quite some time, as he detailed during an appearance on DaChosenOnes Podcast last week.

“My brother knew. I told him ‘I’m gonna go do my two-year sentence up there and I’m gonna come back down South for my last year to tear that s--t up,'" Coleman said on the podcast. "I'm gonna go do what I need to do up there, become the person I need to become, learn what I need to learn. I belong down South."

“After that freshman year, I got to play with some great players, but I just felt like I don’t belong up north," Coleman continued. "I’m an SEC, ACC, I’m a down south type of guy. That’s me."

Following a true freshman season where he caught seven passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, Coleman realized he didn't have the production to land at his preferred destination if he transferred. He decided to return to Michigan State for another year to prove his talent.

It paid off as Coleman hauled in 58 passes for 798 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. He was named third-team All-Big Ten as his receiving yards and receiving touchdowns both ranked sixth in the conference.

“I didn’t feel like I really liked the offense. I didn’t feel like the Big Ten system fit me as a player," Coleman said. "I’m like, ‘I can’t leave. I ain’t where I want to be to leave, to have the options I want. So I came back my sophomore year, man. I did what I was able to do, what they allowed me to do, and after that, I was like, ‘I’ve got to hit the portal. I gotta go where I want to go.’”

In his own words, Coleman said he had a 'grand scheme' to come back to the south for his final year at the college level. He's planning to make the move to the NFL after one season with the Seminoles.

"There was an NFL coach up there, he played in the s--t for nine years with the Jerry Rice's of the world, like I got to go see what he's talking about," Coleman said. "Let me sharpen my knives in this toolbox and come back down south and do what I go to do. That was the grand scheme of the thing."

"Nobody knew it, but in my head, I’m like, ‘I’ve got to go play in the cold, I’ve got to go get better, I’ve got to get out of my crib and go experience. Then, that last year, I’m going to come back down south with a better head on my shoulders.' That was my whole plan. It mapped out how I wanted it to."

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound wide receiver has appeared in 22 games with 12 starts during his college career, totaling 65 receptions for 848 yards and eight touchdowns. He recorded three games of 100+ yards during his time at Michigan State, including a career-high five catches for 155 yards and a touchdown against No. 4 Michigan. 

READ MORE: Three FSU Targets Off The Board After Committing To Other Schools On Monday

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