Speedy receiver KK Smith transfers from Notre Dame to Michigan State, reuniting with a familiar coach and aiming to ignite the Spartans' downfield passing game.
Former Notre Dame wide receiver KK Smith has committed to Michigan State for the 2026 season. Smith entered the portal Monday January 5 and has found a new home about a week later. Smith will reunite with former Fighting Irish linebacker coach Max Bullough who returned to his alma mater to be their co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
The 6-0, 176-pound receiver played a limited role this past season on offense making his decision to enter the transfer portal not overly unexpected. He sat behind fellow 2023 classmates Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison for the duration of his career in South Bend. With the rise of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes, Smith would be battling for a spot in the rotation as a redshirt junior.
The Frisco native was a member of the 2023 recruiting class alongside Greathouse, Faison, Jeremiyah Love, tight end Cooper Flanagan and a handful of other impactful offensive players. He didn't play in a regular season game in 2023 but he did appear in the bowl game against Oregon State for two plays. He played in six games in 2024 recording three catches for 38 yards. This past season, Smith caught eight passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith had his best performance of his career against NC State this past regular season catching three passes for 59 yards and one touchdown. He also caught another touchdown pass against Navy in one of their final home games of the regular season. After his performance against NC State, we thought we might see more of Smith in this offense, especially with his speed, but only played 46 more snaps the remainder of the season.
The Texas native had a skillset unlike the majority of the room, he could flat out run. Outside of rising junior Cam Williams, Smith was the faster receiver in the room. He had elite top end speed, but struggled playing with the level of strength you needed to at this level. The 6-0, 177-pound receiver will have two years of eligibility remaining as he enters the portal.
Despite losing quarterback Aiden Chiles to the portal, Michigan State likely has their starter for the 2026 season in Alessio Milivojevic who took over as the starter in the final four games of the regular season. Milivojevic threw for 1,267 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in 2025. In the four games he started against Minnesota on the road, Penn State at home, Iowa on the road and Maryland at home, the Naperville, Illinois native threw for 986 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
Hopefully, adding Smith to the wide receiver rotation will give the Spartans an opportunity to push the ball down field and take advantage of some mismatches in the secondary. Smith will have to continue to get stronger and remain healthy throughout the offseason. Michigan State will travel to South Bend to take on Notre Dame on September 19 this upcoming season. With the amount of explosive pass plays the Irish secondary gave up in 2025, Smith will have to be a player they account for at all times.
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