Football
Hawkins, Courtney
Courtney Hawkins
- Title:
- Wide Receivers Coach
- Email:
- football@msu.edu
- Phone Number:
- 355-1647
Former Spartan great and nine-year NFL veteran Courtney Hawkins has been on the Spartan staff coaching the wide receivers since 2020. Three wide receivers he has coached at MSU are currently starting in the NFL (Jayden Reed, Packers; Jalen Nailor, Vikings; Keon Coleman, Bills).
This past year in 2024, Hawkins helped develop Nick Marsh, who had the best freshman receiving season in program history with 41 receptions for 649 yards. Marsh also had three TDs and ranked eighth in the Big Ten in yards per catch (15.8) and 13th in receiving yards per game (59.0 ypg), which also ranked second among Big Ten freshmen. Marsh also ranked fourth in the FBS among true freshmen in the regular season with 649 receiving yards and sixth with 41 catches.
Hawkins coached Reed for three seasons (2020-22) in East Lansing before he embarked on his NFL career with the Packers. 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 earned NFL All-Rookie Team honors by The Athletic in 2023 after setting a Packers rookie single-season record with 64 receptions to go along with a team-best 793 yards and eight touchdowns, and he followed that effort by leading the Packers in both receptions (55) and receiving yards (857) while ranking second in yards from scrimmage (1,020) and TD catches (6) in 2024.
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 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, 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. In his third season in the NFL in 2024, Nailor recorded career highs in receptions (28), receiving yards (414) and touchdowns (6) with the Vikings.
Hawkins coached Keon Coleman, a second-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2024, for two seasons (2021-22) at Michigan State. Coleman was a third-team All-Big Ten honoree as a sophomore in 2022 after leading the Spartans in receptions (58), receiving yards (798) and TD catches (7).
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. 7 spot on MSU's single-game receiving yards list, with 197 yards vs. Minnesota in 1989.
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 had been the head football coach and athletic director at his alma mater, Beecher High School, since 2006. 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 in the past eight years.
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.
THE HAWKINS FILE
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:
• Head football coach/athletic director at Flint Beecher High School (2006-20)
• Wide receivers coach at Michigan State (2020-present)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College: Four-year letterwinner as a wide receiver at Michigan State (1988-91)
Professional: Spent nine seasons in the National Football League, including stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1992-96) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1997-2000)
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
Player:
• 1989 Gator Bowl
• 1989 Aloha Bowl
• 1990 John Hancock Bowl
• 1998 AFC Championship Game with Steelers.
Coach:
• 2021 Peach Bowl
NFL DRAFT PICKS (3):
2024: WR Keon Coleman (Michigan State/Florida State; 2nd round, No. 33 overall Buffalo)
2023: WR Jayden Reed (Michigan State; 2nd round, No. 50 overall, Green Bay)
2022: WR Jalen Nailor (Michigan State; 6th round, No. 191 overall, Minnesota)
ALL-AMERICANS (1):
2021: WR/PR Jayden Reed (Michigan State; 1st team, AFCA)
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS (1):
2021 (1; Michigan State, Big Ten): AP Jayden Reed
ADDITIONAL ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES (4 SELECTIONS):
2022 (2; Michigan State, Big Ten): WR Jayden Reed (2nd), WR Keon Coleman (3rd)
2021 (1; Michigan State, Big Ten): WR Jalen Nailor (HM)
2020 (1; Michigan State, Big Ten): KR Jayden Reed (HM)
This past year in 2024, Hawkins helped develop Nick Marsh, who had the best freshman receiving season in program history with 41 receptions for 649 yards. Marsh also had three TDs and ranked eighth in the Big Ten in yards per catch (15.8) and 13th in receiving yards per game (59.0 ypg), which also ranked second among Big Ten freshmen. Marsh also ranked fourth in the FBS among true freshmen in the regular season with 649 receiving yards and sixth with 41 catches.
Hawkins coached Reed for three seasons (2020-22) in East Lansing before he embarked on his NFL career with the Packers. 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 earned NFL All-Rookie Team honors by The Athletic in 2023 after setting a Packers rookie single-season record with 64 receptions to go along with a team-best 793 yards and eight touchdowns, and he followed that effort by leading the Packers in both receptions (55) and receiving yards (857) while ranking second in yards from scrimmage (1,020) and TD catches (6) in 2024.
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 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, 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. In his third season in the NFL in 2024, Nailor recorded career highs in receptions (28), receiving yards (414) and touchdowns (6) with the Vikings.
Hawkins coached Keon Coleman, a second-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2024, for two seasons (2021-22) at Michigan State. Coleman was a third-team All-Big Ten honoree as a sophomore in 2022 after leading the Spartans in receptions (58), receiving yards (798) and TD catches (7).
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. 7 spot on MSU's single-game receiving yards list, with 197 yards vs. Minnesota in 1989.
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 had been the head football coach and athletic director at his alma mater, Beecher High School, since 2006. 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 in the past eight years.
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.
THE HAWKINS FILE
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:
• Head football coach/athletic director at Flint Beecher High School (2006-20)
• Wide receivers coach at Michigan State (2020-present)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College: Four-year letterwinner as a wide receiver at Michigan State (1988-91)
Professional: Spent nine seasons in the National Football League, including stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1992-96) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1997-2000)
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
Player:
• 1989 Gator Bowl
• 1989 Aloha Bowl
• 1990 John Hancock Bowl
• 1998 AFC Championship Game with Steelers.
Coach:
• 2021 Peach Bowl
NFL DRAFT PICKS (3):
2024: WR Keon Coleman (Michigan State/Florida State; 2nd round, No. 33 overall Buffalo)
2023: WR Jayden Reed (Michigan State; 2nd round, No. 50 overall, Green Bay)
2022: WR Jalen Nailor (Michigan State; 6th round, No. 191 overall, Minnesota)
ALL-AMERICANS (1):
2021: WR/PR Jayden Reed (Michigan State; 1st team, AFCA)
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS (1):
2021 (1; Michigan State, Big Ten): AP Jayden Reed
ADDITIONAL ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES (4 SELECTIONS):
2022 (2; Michigan State, Big Ten): WR Jayden Reed (2nd), WR Keon Coleman (3rd)
2021 (1; Michigan State, Big Ten): WR Jalen Nailor (HM)
2020 (1; Michigan State, Big Ten): KR Jayden Reed (HM)
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