Hunter Rison bids fond farewell to Michigan State

Hunter Rison made official what his father said one day earlier: He plans to transfer from Michigan State.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound receiver, who just completed his freshman season with the Spartans, took to Twitter on Tuesday night to announce he planned to leave Michigan State “to better myself and accomplish my goals on the field as well as in the classroom.”

Rison included in the tweet what appears to be a letter from Jennifer Smith, Michigan State senior associate athletic director/compliance, granting other programs permission to contact Rison.

Rison’s father, former Michigan State great and NFL wide receiver Andre Rison, said Monday night on “The Drive with Jack” on 92.1 FM in Lansing that his son planned to transfer because “the system doesn’t fit him and he doesn’t fit the system, evidently ...”

A four-star recruit out of Ann Arbor Skyline, Rison enrolled last January, had a solid spring and became one of 13 true freshmen to play this season for the Spartans. He appeared in 12 of 13 games and had 19 catches for 224 yards.

He ranked fourth among receivers in catches, behind junior Felton Davis (55), sophomore Darrell Stewart (50), and freshman Cody White (35). All are expected to return next season for the Spartans, who finished 10-3 and No. 15 in the final Associated Press rankings.

Hunter Rison thanked Michigan State and its fans Tuesday night.

“The opportunity you gave me to live out a life-long dream will forever be dear to me and my family,” he tweeted. “The relationships formed within this past year will last me a lifetime. It was an honor and privilege to put on the green and white and be a part of such an amazing season.”