Finally healthy in 2020, Michigan State big-play threat Jalen Nailor eyes next step
It didn’t take long for Jalen Nailor to make an impact.
In just the third game of his college career, the Michigan State true freshman wide receiver had a 16-yard touchdown catch and ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run to ice a win at Indiana in 2018. The next month, he took a pop pass and bounced off a wall of defenders before reversing course and motoring for a 48-yard score to close out a victory over Purdue.
They were standout plays at key moments but Nailor’s success was fleeting. Injuries limited him to only 12 games over his first two seasons with the Spartans.
Nailor finally stayed healthy for a full season in 2020 and showed what he can do when he isn’t forced off the field. He finished first on the team in receiving yards (515) and touchdown catches (four) and second in receptions (26) – all career highs – in the pandemic-shortened, seven-game season last year. He also led the Big Ten and ranked 14th in the nation at 19.8 yards per reception.
“It felt great,” Nailor said. “I’m really blessed to be able to stay injury free last year, I thank God for all of that. Staying healthy – that’s the biggest thing for me. I know that I can produce once I’m healthy. Last year I got a little glimpse of what I could do. Hopefully I can do some more this year.”
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The promise Nailor showed as a freshman coincided with him missing five games due to an undisclosed injury. He took over a starting role the following year but broke his foot during practice after the season opener and was out nine games. After returning to play the final three games of the season, he outlined plans for a healthy 2020 season to showcase his explosiveness and was successful in accomplishing that.
Nailor opened the season with six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers and had six receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the season finale at Penn State. In between, he had 119 receiving yards at Iowa and 99 yards and a touchdown against Northwestern.
A former state champion sprinter from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nailor’s speed was the key to Michigan State reviving a downfield passing attack last season. That was the highlight for an offense that has struggled mightily in recent years and averaged only 18.0 points per game last season. Of the team’s eight receptions of at least 45 yards, five belonged to Nailor, including a 75-yard touchdown.
“I trust myself every play that I have,” said Nailor, who also returns punts and kickoffs. “There’s not one play I’m not trusting myself. I know that I have the capabilities of beating the guy in front of me. It’s just all about technique and how I get it done.”
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Nailor spent the offseason working with head strength and conditioning coach Jason Novak and head performance dietician Amber Rinestine. He added 4.5 pounds of muscle to get up to about 190 pounds on his 6-foot-0 frame.
“It makes a big difference,” Nailor said. “I can feel it in my body when I’m out there lifting, running routes and everything. I just feel more explosive, faster. I just feel like myself.”
The improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed and Michigan State coach Mel Tucker stresses the need for Nailor to be more consistent. That’s after he posted a team-high five drops last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
“The proof is in the pudding,” Tucker said. “He’s put the work in with our sports science and our nutrition, our rest and recovery. He’s taken those things seriously, which is going to give him an opportunity to stay healthy. If he’s healthy, he’s going to be on the field, he’s going to have a chance to make plays for us.”
In addition to the physical improvement in the offseason, Nailor is now entering his fourth year with the Spartans. The experience shows in practice.
“He’s just getting so much smarter,” Michigan State senior safety Xavier Henderson said. “He understands the different coverages, the different techniques we’re running and he knows that when some of the dudes get out there that play DB against him, they’re going to kind of play him a little different than they’ll play somebody else because they know he’s so fast. He uses that kind of stuff to his advantage.”
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Michigan State will spend fall camp sorting out a quarterback competition between redshirt sophomore Payton Thorne and graduate transfer Anthony Russo. Whoever wins the job will have a reliable top tandem to target in Nailor and redshirt junior Jayden Reed, who led the team in catches and was second in yards and touchdown receptions last year.
Nailor showed flashes of his potential over his first two seasons at Michigan State and was a constant threat last year. So, what’s the next step?
“Just making big plays, make bigger plays than I have,” Nailor said. “Just make plays more consistently, just being more consistent every week.”
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