Andre Rison: Son WR Hunter Rison will leave Michigan State football
EAST LANSING — Wide receiver Hunter Rison is expected to leave Michigan State, according to his father, former Spartans All-American Andre Rison.
Andre Rison said Monday on The Drive With Jack radio show on WQTX-FM (92.1 in Lansing) that his son will transfer after playing in 12 games as a true freshman in 2017.
“He told me that he appreciates everything that Michigan State’s football program and the coaches have done for him. … But he wants to play more,” MSU Hall of Famer Andre Rison said. “And he feels he’s just as good as the guys that are playing in front of him.”
Messages to Hunter Rison and MSU were not immediately returned. He'll have to sit out a year because of NCAA rules if he transfers to another FBS program. Rison would be immediately eligible if he transfers to a program below the FBS level.
Rison would be the second player to leave the Spartans after their 10-3 turnaround season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Messiah deWeaver announced via Twitter shortly after the Spartans’ Holiday Bowl victory over Washington State that he would be leaving the program. He tweeted Monday that he plans to enroll in East Mississippi Community College, which is featured on the TV show “Last Chance U.”
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The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Rison appeared to move ahead of second-year sophomore Trishton Jackson and redshirt freshman Cam Chambers as MSU’s No. 4 wideout, though the three were used together in certain three-receiver sets late in the season. Rison caught 19 passes for 224 yards and also had three rushing attempts for 11 yards.
Andre Rison said his son is “too talented to just waste a freshman year” and could have redshirted if he was not going to be used more, critiquing the MSU coaches using tight ends and running backs at the slot receiver position on third downs instead of Hunter.
“We know we can play on that level. I think he proved it,” Andre Rison said. “But he needs to be out there more. He needs to be playing more. He needs to be more involved in the offense, not sitting on the sidelines for continuous week after week after week after week after week after week when the coach is telling him he needs to find ways to play him.”
Cody White emerged as MSU’s No. 3 receiver and set a school record for a true freshman (490 yards, with four TDs in 35 catches) alongside top targets junior Felton Davis and sophomore Darrell Stewart.
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White also became MSU’s punt returner midseason, and classmate Connor Heyward took over on kickoff returns. Hunter Rison did not get any reps at either position during games. The elder Rison said his son will “try to return punts at his next place,” something Andre Rison did not do during his time at MSU but did during his 12-year NFL career.
Andre Rison said he expects Hunter explore transferring to schools from the Big Ten, SEC and MAC. The younger Rison was the Spartans’ highest-ranked in-state recruit in MSU’s 2017 class at No. 10 according to 247Sports.com out of Ann Arbor Skyline. He enrolled early last January.
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“We thought it out and looked at the rotation. He’s No. 4 in the depth chart, and he can start at a lot of places. And he can play and prove his talents,” Andre Rison said. “College football is a short window. I know how recruiting goes – recruiting is 99 percent lie, so you gotta take that 1 percent chance.
“The good thing about is he’s just a freshman. He had a great template, he played in some big games, he made some big plays. He’ll surface again, and he’ll surface bright. He’s a great kid with a great attitude.”
Andre Rison also said he dealt with a similar issue during his time at MSU under George Perles from 1985-88, though he is “by no means” an overly involved parent such as LaVar Ball.
“I tried to talk him into staying, because I had a situation when I was in college where we ran the ball 20 straight times before we threw a pass,” Rison said. “Did it hinder my college career? You just asked me, ‘What about the College Hall of Fame?’ I felt like I was the best receiver in the country and evidently the pros thought it. I was drafted first round, the second receiver taken. The first receiver taken that year (Hart Lee Dykes) never made a Pro Bowl, I made five or six of them.
“I mean, it goes to speak volumes when you get an opportunity to play and make plays and make chances to learn how to play the game. … I never met with the coaches, I never tried to tell them what to do or anything. I just watched from a distance.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!