Mulling over the pecking order of the wide receiving corps for Michigan State was one of the more difficult parts of putting my top 30 list together.I ended up having a pair of receivers be the last two players to make the list. True freshman Samson Gash debuted on the list on Tuesday at No. 30. Just in front of him is perhaps one of the more surprising names on the list. Here, at No. 29, I have redshirt freshman wideout Charles Taplin.Taplin’s Path Towards RoleMichigan State's Alessio Milivojevic, center, slaps hands with Charles Taplin before the game against Youngstown State on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesDeciding to put Taplin on here so soon in his career feels like a surprise to me, too. He redshirted last year and caught one pass for an eight-yard gain against Minnesota. Taplin wasn’t exactly a favorite to be towards the top of the depth chart when spring ball began.Head coach Pat Fitzgerald asked the media not to look too much into depth charts before MSU’s “Spring Showcase” in April, but, to be frank, that’s sort of boring. While scanning the field during pre-exhibition warm-ups, there was Taplin and his No. 19 working with the first-team offense. April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald watches the action going on during MSU's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SIThis is with a big grain of salt. Notre Dame transfer KK Smith didn’t participate that day. Gash hadn’t joined the team yet. Rodney Bullard Jr. — who I will admit is not in my top 30 list (partially because his eligibility status isn’t even certain) — was also with the first-teamers. That still put Taplin unexpectedly ahead of others. His first-team presence implied he was ahead of Michigan transfer Fredrick Moore, fellow redshirt freshmen Braylon Collier and Bryson Williams, and others. Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Kk Smith (11) celebrates scoring against the NC State Wolfpack during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. | Michael Caterina-Imagn ImagesTaplin was actually the second-lowest-rated recruit in the Spartans’ entire 2025 recruiting class. He was down at 1,671st overall in the class, 228th among receivers, and 246th among those from Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite. The only other Power Four program that offered Taplin was Arizona. Collier was up at 821st nationally; Williams was at 1,024th.Nothing pops out about Taplin’s measurables. He’s not that big at 6’1” and 184 pounds. Taplin produced 37 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns during his senior year, according to his MaxPreps profile. A relatively uninspiring season for a prospective Power Four recruit. He has good speed and has run the 400-meter dash in under 50 seconds, but not at the level of the freshman Gash. Jumping ForwardMichigan State's Charles Taplin catches a pass during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSomehow, Taplin has done enough to climb the depth chart. There is certainly more to football than speed, size, or how much you produced in high school. Taplin has been showing up in the right way with the rest of it. Plenty is still there to like about Taplin’s game. One of the phrases wideouts coach Courtney Hawkins will use is “no block, no rock.” Digging into some old high school film from when he was at Red Oak High School, Taplin is very willing to do the dirty work that not every receiver is willing to give 100% effort on. Michigan State's wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins looks on during the spring game on Saturday, April 16, 2022, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King / USA TODAY NETWORKI also like the level of awareness that Taplin shows towards the sidelines and boundaries. He’s not the guy who Alessio Milivojevic is lobbing 50/50 balls up to, but Taplin will be extremely aware of where he is on the field and will consistently be sure to get his foot down. Taplin is also one of Michigan State's craftier route-runners. He sort of needs to be with a relatively small frame, given that he’ll probably be running a lot of short and intermediate routes. What’s also nice is that Taplin is very willing to run that slant route over the middle into traffic, too. Nov 29, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Michigan State wide receiver Charles Taplin (19) shakes hands with a fan while walking off the field after defeating Maryland at Ford Field. | Brendan Mullin-Imagn ImagesThere is a versatile route tree in Taplin’s game. That can make him a valuable red-zone weapon when the defense tightens up, and the routes get quicker and shorter as well.Compliments of HawkinsHawkins has been openly pleased with Taplin’s progress, too. Again, Taplin will never be the biggest receiver on the team, but Hawkins has been pleased with how Taplin has transformed his body during his first year-plus in East Lansing.Michigan State's wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins looks on during the opening day of MSU's football fall camp on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK“Tap is probably one of the fastest guys on our team,” Hawkins said during the spring. “He's a smart dude, really great quickness, really good at the top of routes. He’s developed his body over the last year. That was one of the setbacks when he first got here. He was a little undersized, and he couldn’t handle the pounding of the Big Ten."“But he’s attacked nutrition, and I feel like now he's ready physically and mentally and emotionally to be able to contribute to help us win games versus just’ I got a chance to play’ type of deal.”Michigan State's NiJhay Burt, center, intercepts a pass intended for Charles Taplin, left, during the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesGetting the body right is a very common reason why freshmen don’t play right away. Perhaps the skills were there, but you still have to manage yourself over the wear and tear of the 13-, 14-week season. This is especially true for offensive and defensive linemen, but it’s still so for skill groups. Hits from a Big Ten middle linebacker are still going to leave bigger marks than those from high school linebackers, even those from Texas. Just off the chatter and what I’ve seen from spring, things just seem to indicate that next season will be a breakout year for Taplin. He’s not my WR1 on the roster, but there may just be a starting spot there to be claimed during training camp in August. It’s not a sure thing. Moore could still push for a spot. Bullard (if eligible) could push for a spot. Position battles don’t end with Week 1, either. Taplin seems to have the early lead over some of the others right now. Two spots are up for grabs at the end of the day. Chrishon McCray can be written in without stress as a starter, but that only solves who lines up in the slot. Taplin wasn’t supposed to be in a position to grab a spot during his second year in college, but I think he has the capability to do so.Previous "Top 30" ArticlesNov 29, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Michigan State wide receiver Charles Taplin (19) sings the Michigan State fight song after defeating Maryland at Ford Field. | Brendan Mullin-Imagn ImagesNo. 30, WR Samson GashPodcast BreakdownAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow