OFFICIAL: Jonathan Smith, Michigan State retain WR coach Courtney Hawkins
Another piece of Jonathan Smith's coaching staff at Michigan State has been put in place, as the football program announced on Monday that wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins will be retained by Smith and the university.
Hawkins, a former Spartan player and nine-year NFL veteran, returned to his alma mater in 2020 and spent the past four seasons coaching wide receivers under then-head coach Mel Tucker.
“I have been very impressed getting to know Courtney Hawkins since I arrived on campus,” Smith said in a statement released Monday. “On the field, he has developed productive players who have made an impact both in the Big Ten and at the next level. He also has created strong relationships with his players and has great ties to the state of Michigan as a longtime high school coach. I’m excited to work with Coach Hawkins and welcome him and his family to our staff.”
In his time at Michigan State, Hawkins helped develop future NFL draft picks Jalen Nailor and Jayden Reed, and also pulled former MSU receiver Keon Coleman out of Louisiana as a high school recruit. Coleman became one of the nation's top receivers under Hawkins tutelage before transferring to Florida State ahead of the 2023 season to conclude his college career.
Hawkins, a Michigan native, has proven to have a strong recruiting prowess in his four seasons in East Lansing. In addition to landing Coleman, Hawkins has reeled in 2024 four-star River Rouge (Mich.) wide receiver Nick Marsh, the No. 3 player in the state, in this most recent recruiting cycle.
With Hawkins in the fold, Smith has filled eight out of 10 on-field assistant coaching positions for Michigan State. Hawkins joins Brian Lindgren (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Keith Bhonapha (assistant head coach/running backs), Jim Michalczik (run game coordinator/offensive line) and Brian Wozniak (tight ends/recruiting coordinator) on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, Smith has hired Joe Roggi (defensive coordinator/linebackers), Legi Suiaunoa (defensive line) and Blue Adams (secondary) so far, with two spots left to fill.
Michigan State's full press release regarding Courtney Hawkins' retention can be read below.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State head football coach Jonathan Smith has named Courtney Hawkins the program’s wide receivers coach.
A former Spartan great and nine-year NFL veteran, Hawkins returned to his alma mater in 2020 and has spent the past four seasons coaching the wide receivers.
“I have been very impressed getting to know Courtney Hawkins since I arrived on campus,” said Smith. “On the field, he has developed productive players who have made an impact both in the Big Ten and at the next level. He also has created strong relationships with his players and has great ties to the state of Michigan as a longtime high school coach. I’m excited to work with Coach Hawkins and welcome him and his family to our staff.”
In his four seasons in East Lansing, Hawkins has mentored multiple All-Big Ten receivers and NFL Draft picks.
He helped develop Jayden Reed, who finished his career ranked among MSU’s all-time leaders in several statistical categories, for three years in East Lansing. A 2021 first-team All-American as an all-purpose player, Reed ranks sixth in the Spartan record book in receptions (147), tied for seventh in touchdown catches (18) and 12th in receiving yards (2,069). The dynamic receiver and returner earned invitations to both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine following the 2022 season and was selected in the second round (No. 50 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Reed currently ranks second on the Packers with 40 catches for 513 yards and five TDs and was a midseason honorable mention selection to the NFL All-Rookie Team by The Athletic.
Hawkins also coached Keon Coleman his first two seasons in college. Coleman led MSU in receptions (58), receiving yards (798) and TD catches (7) as a sophomore in 2022 to garner third-team All-Big Ten accolades.
Hawkins oversaw one of the best wide receiver rooms in the Big Ten during Michigan State’s 11-2 season in 2021, as the Spartans finished No. 8 (coaches) and No. 9 (AP) in the national polls following a school-record turnaround season. Reed and Jalen Nailor formed a potent duo that fueled MSU’s big-play offense that ranked third in the Big Ten in scoring at 31.8 points per game. Reed and Nailor both ranked in the top 10 in the conference in several categories, including receiving yards per game and yards per catch.
Reed started all 13 games at wide receiver in 2021 and led the team with career highs in receptions (59), receiving yards (1,026) and touchdown catches (10). His 10 TD grabs ranked sixth most in an MSU season and his 1,026 receiving yards ranked ninth most. Reed landed on the AFCA All-America First Team as an all-purpose player and was one of five finalists for the Paul Hornung Award after leading the Big Ten and ranking seventh in the FBS in averaging 18.0 yards per play (1,674 all-purpose yards on 93 total plays). He tied for the FBS lead with two punt returns for touchdowns (88 yards vs. Western Kentucky, 62 yards vs. Nebraska) and led the Big Ten in punt returns with his 19.8-yard average. Reed capped off his career year with a two-touchdown performance in the win over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl that earned him Offensive MVP honors in the game.
A year after leading the league in yards per catch (19.8 avg.), Nailor ranked second in the Big Ten in 2021 with an 18.8-yard average. He had a record-setting day at Rutgers on Oct. 9, 2021, in which he caught five passes for 221 yards and three TDs of all 60-plus yards (65, 63, 63), as his 44.2 yards per catch was the highest by a Big Ten player since 2000 en route to receiving Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. Although he missed four games due to injury, Nailor still recorded career highs in receptions (37), receiving yards (695) and TD catches (6) and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
During his first season in East Lansing in 2020, Hawkins helped develop Nailor’s playmaking potential as the redshirt sophomore led the Big Ten in yards per catch (19.1) while also ranking sixth in receiving yards per game (73.6 ypg). Overall, Nailor had 26 catches for 515 yards and four TDs, including 100-yard efforts against Iowa (119) and Penn State (100). In addition, Reed, in his first year as a Spartan, led the team with 33 catches and ranked 10th in the league in receptions per game (4.7). Reed was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection as a kick returner.
Hawkins, who played nine seasons in the NFL, came to Michigan State in February 2020 after serving as the head football coach and athletic director at his alma mater, Beecher High School, in Flint, Michigan, from 2006 to 2020.
A four-year letterwinner at Michigan State (1988-91) under Coach George Perles, Hawkins was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree at wide receiver. He was a member of the 1990 Big Ten Championship team and earned the Governor of Michigan Award in 1991, presented annually since 1931 to the Spartan player who is voted the most valuable by his teammates. He also received MSU's Downtown Coaches Club Award for most outstanding player on offense his senior year. In 1989, Hawkins broke the MSU single-season record for receiving yards with 1,080, a mark that is still No. 8 on Michigan State's single-season receiving yards list. Hawkins also is still in possession of the No. 6 and 8 spots on MSU's single-game receiving yards list, with 197 yards vs. Minnesota in 1989 at No. 6 and 193 vs. Purdue in 1989 at No. 8.
Hawkins remains ranked among Michigan State's career leaders in kick return yards (No. 6 with 1,571), receiving yards (No. 6 with 2,210), receptions (No. 9 with 138), all-purpose yards (No. 8 with 4,125) and TD receptions (tied for No. 17 with 12).
Hawkins was selected in the second round (44th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent nine seasons in the NFL, playing for Tampa Bay from 1992-1996, before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1997 to 2000. For his NFL career, Hawkins snared 366 passes for 4,573 yards and 18 TDs.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Hawkins was the head football coach and athletic director at his alma mater, Beecher High School, from 2006 until his hiring at Michigan State in February 2020. He was named the regional Athletic Director of the Year in 2018 by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Hawkins is a member of both the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame.
During his time as the head football coach for 14 seasons, Beecher reached the state playoffs 12 times and won three conference championships, three division championships and one regional championship. Under Hawkins' leadership as AD, Beecher won five Class C boys basketball state championships.
Hawkins received the Donald Riegle Community Service Award in 2019 for his service to the city of Flint.
Hawkins earned all-state honors at Beecher High School in football, basketball and track. He won two state championships in basketball and four in track before graduating from Beecher in 1988.
Hawkins graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He and his wife, Candace, have three daughters: Ciya, Comari and Cayla.
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