Keon Coleman Calls Time At Michigan State A "Two-Year Sentence" Before Returning South
Former Michigan State wide receiver Keon Coleman, who spent two seasons in East Lansing before transferring to Florida State on May 17, claimed he always intended to finish his collegiate career in the South.
Appearing on “DaChosenOnes Podcast” on YouTube with a pair of friends, Coleman referred to his time at Michigan State as a “two-year sentence” to improve as a football player before returning to a school closer to home.
“My brother knew,” Coleman said on the podcast. “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 (expletive) up.’ … I belong down South.”
Coleman said he wanted to go to an SEC school out of high school, but he didn’t want to just be another “big receiver” who caught jump balls in the SEC. He was impressed with Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins, who played in the NFL for nine seasons.
“I did my research,” Coleman said. “My receivers coach was in the league nine years, so I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to learn what he knew.’ I’m going to go there and see what that’s about.”
Coleman said he wanted to learn the technique and skills to make him a complete receiver, not just a big, tall target who knew how to high-point the football. He felt that Hawkins was the best position coach to help him reach that goal out of high school.
“It’s an NFL coach up there,” Coleman said. “He played in the [league] for nine years, with the Jerry Rice’s of the world. I’ve got to go see what he’s talking about. Let me sharpen my knives in this tool box…come back down south, and do what I’ve got to do.”
Coleman committed to Michigan State on National Signing Day as part of the Spartans’ 2020 class. His decision came down to MSU and Tulane, though he also expressed interest in Auburn and Virginia Tech on the “DaChosenOnes Podcast”. Coleman said Tulane was too close to home, and part of his decision to go to Michigan State was to get outside his comfort zone and experience a new environment.
“You’ve got to play in the cold, because in the league it’s going to happen,” Coleman said. “So, I was just trying to prepare myself.”
Coleman was also promised an opportunity to play basketball for Tom Izzo, which made the Spartans stand out even more. He also mentioned MSU’s fanbase as a factor in his decision.
“They’ve got the best fanbase out of all the schools I had [as options], they the biggest school,” Coleman said. “Michigan State fans loved me. I love them over there…So, I was like, we’ve got to see what Michigan State about.”
Coleman played sparingly as a true freshman in East Lansing, finishing his first season with seven receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Michigan State’s had a primary receiving trio of Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed and Tre Mosley, who Coleman learned behind.
Coleman said his first thoughts of leaving Michigan State came after that freshman season, but he didn’t feel like he could leave after just one season and get where he wanted to be due to his limited production.
“After that freshman year, I got to play with some great players, but I just felt like I don’t belong up north. I’m an SEC, ACC – I’m a down south type of guy. That’s me,” 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 can’t.’”
While Coleman was complimentary of Hawkins, and credited MSU’s wide receiver coach for being a major factor in his decision to attend Michigan State, Coleman also threw a bit of shade at the Spartans’ coaching staff during the podcast as well. Coleman’s criticisms included offensive coordinator Jay Johnson’s scheme, as well as feeling like he was held back by limited targets and not enough opportunities with the ball in his hands.
“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 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.’”
Coleman said he proved he could play with the best in the country in Week 3 last season, during Michigan State's 39-22 loss at Washington. He noted that Reed was out for that game, which made Coleman the unquestioned No. 1 receiving option for the Spartans. Coleman also said if Michigan State’s coaching staff would have allowed him to do more, he would have led the Spartans to a win over the Huskies.
“Week 3, J-Reed got hurt,” Coleman said. “I was like, ‘Alright, I gotta be the guy.’ I get out there, I go for 116 [receiving yards]. A hundred yards, that’s a big accomplishment, but I felt like I could’ve hit them for 200.
“That was a big game for me. That game let me solidify myself as like, I really can do this [expletive]. Because I got to run the route tree that game, I lost some reps, I won some reps, I went through adversity, all of that in the same game…I did what I was supposed to do. We came up short, but if they would’ve let me do more, I would’ve willed us to the victory.”
Coleman’s claim that it was always his plan to return south to finish his collegiate career has some holes in it. For one, the receiver did not enter the portal during the first transfer portal window following the 2022 season. He waited until the final day of the spring window, after going through spring practice at Michigan State in preparation for the 2023 season.
Perhaps that was because Coleman planned on playing one more season of basketball with the Spartans. The then-sophomore returned to campus on Dec. 28 to begin practicing with the basketball team, shortly before the start of spring semester classes. Coleman was coming off an injury during football's season-finale against Penn State however, and after discussions with Izzo and Mel Tucker, the decision was made that Coleman would focus exclusively on football.
Still, the winter transfer portal window remained open until the middle of January, so Coleman had ample opportunity to enter the transfer portal after his MSU basketball career came to an end. Despite these factors which indicate differently, Coleman said during his podcast interview that finishing his career in the SEC or ACC was always his plan.
“That was the grand scheme of the thing,” Coleman said. “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.”
Editors Note: A segment of Keon Coleman’s interview on DaChosenOnes Podcast can be viewed in the embedded tweet below. The embedded tweet also contains a link for the full episode of DaChosenOnes Podcast. Viewer discretion is advised, as there are multiple instances of NSFW language during the podcast.
