Multiple Michigan State players have been named to watch lists for various awards ahead of the 2024 football season.

Here is a look at which players are gaining recognition.

Note: Spartans Illustrated will continue to update this article when more news comes out.

Michigan State freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh was one of 37 players that was named to the watch list for the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year Award on Aug. 28.

Marsh was a former four-star recruit out of River Rouge High School in Detroit. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Marsh is expected to be a contributor this season for the Spartans, despite being a true freshman.

Recent winners of the Shaun Alexander Award were Alabama (now Ohio State) defensive back Caleb Downs, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.

Michigan State tight end Jack Velling has made the John Mackey Award 2024 Preseason Watch List. The award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. No Michigan State player has ever won the award.

Velling has been recognized before by the John Mackey Award. He was named the Tight End of the Week in Week 9 of the 2023 season when he played for Oregon State.

Velling is expected to be one of the more reliable weapons for Michigan State's offense this season. Last season with the Beavers, he earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors after posting 29 catches, 438 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games played.

The winner of the John Mackey Award will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 12.

On Aug. 21, Velling was named to the Senior Bowl Watchlist alongside four other Spartans.

The Senior Bowl is an annual postseason all-star game with two teams comprised of draft eligible college football players. The Senior Bowl used to only invite upperclassmen; however, in 2024 for the first time, it invited underclassmen that had already declared for the NFL Draft. The 2025 Senior Bowl will be on Feb. 1.

For his work on and off the field, Michigan State running back Nate Carter made the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List.

The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy is awarded annually to the player that “best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.”

Carter also was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Both are the two college football premier honors for community service.

Carter spends a lot of time volunteering in the community with the Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan.

On the field, he is Michigan State’s leading returning rusher. Carter was just shy of 800 rushing yards in 2023. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored four rushing touchdowns as well.

On Aug. 6, Carter was also named to the Doak Walker Watch List. The award honors the nation's top running back each year.

The only Michigan State player to ever win the Doak Walker Award was Kenneth Walker III in 2021.

Carter made the Senior Bowl Watchlist as well, which was announced on Aug. 21.

Michigan State rush end Khris Bogle was named to the Senior Bowl Watchlist on Aug. 21, along with four other Michigan State players.

Bogle is back for his third season at Michigan State and sixth season in college football. Bogle spent three seasons with Florida before transferring to Michigan State.

In 2022, he played in four games, but missed the final eight games of the season due to injury. Bogle finished the 2022 campaign with 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack. He followed that up with a 14-tackle season in 2023 to go along with two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Bogle briefly entered the transfer portal following the 2023 campaign, but withdrew his name in January and decided to return to the Spartans under Smith.

Michigan State's Jonathan Kim was one of 12 kickers to be named to the Senior Bowl Watchlist on Aug. 21.

In his first season with the Spartans in 2023, Kim was 13-for-18 on field goals and a perfect 17-for-17 on extra point attempts. Four of his converted field goals were from 50-plus yards away.

Prior to his transfer to the Spartans, he spent four seasons at North Carolina.

A summer addition for the Spartans, offensive lineman Luke Newman was named to the Senior Bowl Watchlist on Aug. 21.

Newman spent four seasons at Holy Cross before returning to his home state of Michigan to play his final year of college football in East Lansing.

He had a decorated career with the Crusaders, earning FCS All-America Team honors in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Michigan State punter Ryan Eckley was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List heading into his third season as a Spartan.

The Ray Guy Award is annually given to the nation’s top punter. Former Spartan and current New England Patriot Bryce Baringer was a finalist for the award in 2022.

Last season, Eckley punted 55 times for an average of 46.8 yards per punt. That average was good for second in the Big Ten and eighth in the FBS. Eckley was also second in the Big Ten in punts of over 50 yards with 24.

Additionally, he had 15 punts pinned inside the 10-yard line and four punts of 60 or more yards. Eckley was named to the second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.

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