R.J. Shelton

• 2016 SECOND-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN (COACHES)

CAREER NOTES: Four-year letterwinner had 116 catches for 1,471 yards and scored a total of 16 touchdowns (11 receiving, four rushing, one kick return) in 52 career games, including 23 starts . . . multi-dimensional player finished his career ranked among MSU’s all-time leaders in kick return yards (second with 1,855), kick returns (second with 80), all-purpose yards (13th with 3,900), receptions (tied for 17th with 116) and touchdown catches (tied for 18th with 11) . . . surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards three times in his career (1,114 in 2014; 1,051 in 2015; career-high 1,377 in 2016) . . . spent four years as the team’s starting kick returner . . . also had 549 yards rushing and four TDs on 84 carries (6.7 avg.) . . . selected to play in the 2017 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, California.

2016 SEASON (SENIOR): Voted the most valuable player (Governor’s Award) by his teammates . . . became the fourth wide receiver under Mark Dantonio (B.J. Cunningham in 2011; Tony Lippett in 2014; Aaron Burbridge in 2015) to win the Governor’s Award . . . also received the team’s Downtown Coaches Club Award (most outstanding senior on offense) . . . second-team All-Big Ten choice by the coaches . . . also earned All-Big Ten honors from Pro Football Focus (first team), Athlon Sports (second team), Phil Steele (second team) and the league’s media (honorable mention) . . . led the team in receptions (53), receiving yards (789) and all-purpose yards (1,377), and tied for the team lead in touchdown catches (5), all of which were career highs . . . ranked among MSU’s single-season leaders in catches (tied for 17th with 53) and receiving yards (18th with 789) . . . started all 12 games at flanker . . . during the regular season, ranked tied for fifth in the Big Ten in receptions (4.4 pg), fifth in all-purpose yards (114.8 ypg), sixth in receiving yards (65.8 ypg) and tied for ninth in TD catches (5) . . . led the team with 22 plays of 20 yards or more (11 kick return, 10 receptions, one rush) . . . had four of MSU’s eight plays of 50-plus yards . . . had seven or more receptions in five games . . . was 3-of-3 passing for 59 yards . . . caught two 86-yard touchdown passes (at Indiana, vs. Northwestern) from Tyler O’Connor, becoming one of only two players in school history to have two touchdown receptions of 86 yards or longer in the same season (Sherman Lewis, 1963) . . . had two 100-yard receiving games in 2016: career-high 190 vs. Northwestern (Oct. 15) and 141 at Indiana on Oct. 1 . . . collected 142 all-purpose yards in his final collegiate game at No. 7 Penn State, with five catches for 74 yards, three carries for 15 yards, and three kickoff returns for 53 yards . . . had three catches for 32 yards with a long of 20 vs. Rutgers, adding one carry for 3 yards . . . snared seven receptions for 80 yards at Illinois, including a leaping grab in the back of the end zone for a TD late in game . . . collected 135 all-purpose yards vs. No. 2 Michigan with 57 yards receiving on two catches, three rushes for 13 yards and three kick returns for 65 yards . . . recorded 181 all-purpose yards at Maryland with seven catches for 89 yards and three kick returns for 92 yards including season-long 52-yard return . . . amassed career-high 260 all-purpose yards vs. Northwestern, racking up career-best 190 yards receiving on seven catches with two TDs, one that matched a career long with an 86-yard catch, while the other was on a 59-yard TD catch . . . the 190 receiving yards were the most by a Spartan wide receiver against Northwestern (previous: 186 by Blair White in 2009) . . . was also 2-for-2 passing for 44 yards against the Wildcats with a 19-yard pass to Josiah Price for a first down and a 25-yard pass to Donnie Corley, and added four kick returns for 70 yards . . . started at wide receiver vs. BYU and had three catches for 18 yards to go with one rush for 2 yards and added 69 yards on three kick returns, including season-long 31-yard return, finishing with 89 all-purpose yards . . . recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with seven catches for 141 yards at Indiana . . . his 141 receiving yards were fourth most by a Spartan against the Hoosiers . . . caught an 86-yard touchdown pass from Tyler O’Connor, which tied for the seventh-longest TD reception in school history and the longest since 2013 . . . added one rush for 18 yards and one kick return for a season-long 23 yards, finishing with a game-high 182 all-purpose yards . . . was named the fourth captain for the Wisconsin game, the only native of Wisconsin on MSU’s roster . . . tallied three catches for 23 yards vs. No. 11 Wisconsin . . . also had two kick returns for 41 yards . . . snared a career-high eight catches for 80 yards at No. 18 Notre Dame, and added a big third-down catch to earn a first down in the waning minutes to seal the victory . . . logged 69 all-purpose yards vs. Furman, getting one rush for 32 yards, adding two punt returns for 19 yards and one kick return of 18 yards . . . was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List (nation’s most versatile player).

2015 SEASON (JUNIOR): Played in all 14 games, including five starts . . . had 43 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns . . . ranked second on the team in receptions (43; 3.1 pg.) and all-purpose yards (1,051; 75.1 ypg.), third in receiving yards (503; 35.9 ypg.) and fourth in TD catches (4) . . . averaged 21.8 yards per kick return . . . honorable mention All-Big Ten pick by the coaches . . . had 49 all-purpose yards in the win over No. 4 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game (three catches for 34 yards; three carries for 15 yards) . . . hauled in four catches for 74 yards, including a 29-yard TD pass from Connor Cook in the first quarter, against Penn State . . . registered 77 all-purpose yards vs. Maryland (three receptions for 35 yards; 38 kick return; 4 rushing) . . . tallied 84 all-purpose yards at Nebraska, including four catches for 41 yards . . . had a game-high 153 all-purpose yards vs. Indiana, including six receptions for a season-best 76 yards . . . also had 10 rushing yards on two carries and 67 kick return yards, including a 58-yarder, to open the second half . . . had a career-high two touchdown catches against the Hoosiers (22 yards in first quarter; 10 yards in fourth quarter) . . . named one of three Spartan unsung heroes of the week for his role in the win over Indiana . . . had four catches for 58 yards at No. 12 Michigan, including a key 27-yard sideline grab that led to MSU’s second TD of the game in the third quarter . . . hauled in five catches for 55 yards at Rutgers, including a leaping 29-yard reception on third-and-9 from the MSU 25-yard line with under four minutes remaining that kept the Spartans’ eventual game-winning drive alive in the 31-24 victory . . . named Spartan unsung hero of the week (offense) vs. Rutgers . . . led team with three receptions for 31 yards, including a 23-yard TD catch, and had 97 all-purpose yards overall against Purdue . . . recorded six receptions and had 68 receiving yards against Air Force; had 89 all-purpose yards (68 receiving, 13 kick return, 8 rushing) against the Falcons . . . collected 54 all-purpose yards in the season opener at Western Michigan (35 kick return, 13 receiving, 6 rushing).

2014 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Saw action in all 13 games, including two starts . . . ranked third on the team in all-purpose yards with 1,114 (85.7 ypg.) . . . led team and ranked sixth in MSU single-season history in kick returns (793 yards on 31 attempts; 25.6 avg.) . . . also ranked third in the Big Ten and 26th in the FBS in kick returns (25.6 avg.) . . . named second-team All-Big Ten kick returner by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele . . . ranked fourth on the team in rushing (21 rushes for 148 yards; 7.0 avg.) and had two rushing TDs . . . tied for fifth on the team with five touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving, one kick return) . . . ranked sixth on the team with 16 catches for 173 yards (10.8 avg.) and two touchdowns . . . ranked second on the team with 117 all-purpose yards (89 kick return; 17 receiving, 11 rushing) in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic win over No. 4 Baylor; scored on an 11-yard rush in the first quarter against the Bears . . . named College Football Performance Awards National Kick Returner of the Week and Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week after returning three kickoffs for a career-high 135 yards (45.0 avg.) and one touchdown in Michigan State’s 34-10 win at Penn State . . . returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a score at Penn State, his first career kickoff return for a touchdown; it marked MSU’s first kickoff return for a TD since Keshawn Martin in 2009 (93 yards vs. Minnesota), and it also marked just the second time in MSU history (modern-day era, since 1945) that the Spartans returned an opening kickoff for a touchdown (Demond Williams vs. Indiana in 2005, 98 yards) . . . totaled 119 all-purpose yards vs. Rutgers (two attempts for 76 kick return yards, three catches for 39 yards, one carry for 4 yards) . . . had a 7-yard TD catch in the second quarter and a 52-yard kickoff return in the third quarter against the Scarlet Knights . . . collected 78 all-purpose yards vs. No. 14 Ohio State (three kick returns for 60 yards, two catches for 15 yards; one rush for 3 yards) . . . had 58 all-purpose yards at Indiana (34 kick return, 19 receiving, 5 rushing), including a 4-yard TD reception . . . collected 65 all-purpose yards in a start at Purdue (four carries for 27 yards; two kick returns for 38 yards) . . . had 79 all-purpose yards vs. No. 19 Nebraska (four kick returns for 57 yards; three carries for 22 yards) . . . collected 123 all-purpose yards against Wyoming (88 kick return, two catches for 20 yards, one carry for 15 yards) . . . had three carries for 9 yards vs. Eastern Michigan, including a 6-yard TD run . . . recorded career highs in receptions (4), receiving yards (58) and all-purpose yards (209) at No. 3 Oregon; also had 121 kick return yards against the Ducks . . . also had a 59-yard kick return against the Ducks . . . collected 24 all-purpose yards in the season opener against Jacksonville State (two rushes for 19 yards; one catch for 5 yards).

2013 SEASON (FRESHMAN): Saw action in 13 games, including four starts (Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern) . . . led team with nine kick returns for 199 yards (22.1 avg.) . . . ranked fourth on the team in rushing with 153 yards on 21 carries (7.3 avg.) . . . also had four catches for 6 yards . . . compiled 77 all-purpose yards (69 kick return, 8 rushing) against No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game . . . rushed three times for 6 yards at Nebraska, including a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter . . . collected 96 all-purpose yards in MSU’s victory over No. 23 Michigan; rushed twice for 38 yards, including a 35-yarder in the fourth quarter, and had 58 kick return yards on two returns (29.0 avg.) . . . had 7 yards rushing on two carries and had a 6-yard reception at Illinois . . . earned his first career start vs. Purdue; had 24 yards rushing on five carries (4.8 avg.) against the Boilermakers . . . collected 47 all-purpose yards vs. Indiana (40 rush, 7 receiving), including a 34-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter . . . registered an 18-yard rush in his only attempt against Youngstown State . . . had two carries for 7 yards in his collegiate debut vs. South Florida . . . made the position change from running back to wide receiver during preseason camp.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: PrepStar All-American . . . ranked among the nation’s top running backs by Rivals.com (No. 31), Scout.com (No. 44) and ESPN.com (No. 71) . . . rated among the country’s top all-purpose backs by 247Sports.com (No. 19) . . . listed among the Midwest’s top prospects by ESPN.com (No. 103) . . . ranked among Wisconsin’s top seniors by Rivals.com (No. 4), ESPN.com (No. 4) and 247Sports.com (No. 5) . . . three-year starter for Coach Tim White at Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) High School . . . helped the Golden Beavers to 21 victories during his four-year varsity career (more wins than the previous five seasons combined) . . . set school career records for carries (612), rushing yards (5,092), rushing touchdowns (72), all-purpose yards (5,763) and total TDs (78) . . . career averages (37 games): 8.3 yards per carry and 137.6 rushing yards per game . . . first-team all-state selection by The Associated Press and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association as a senior . . . also earned first-team All-Little Ten honors in 2012 . . . rushed 149 times for 1,302 yards (8.7 avg.) and 15 TDs as a senior . . . added eight catches for 148 yards (18.5 avg.) and one score in 2012 . . . recorded six 100-yard rushing games as a senior, including three 200-yard efforts . . . gained 230 yards on 15 attempts and scored four rushing TDs (60, 56, 29 and 16 yards) vs. West Bend East . . . accounted for 202 all-purpose yards vs. Watertown (14 carries for 146 yards and a score; 3 receptions for 56 yards) . . . caught three passes for a season-high 72 yards at Oconomowoc . . . ran 28 times for a season-high 257 yards and three scores (14, 80 and 37 yards) vs. West Bend West . . . carried 14 times for 238 yards and four TDs (4, 67, 12 and 67 yards) and returned a punt 65 yards for a score in the 2012 season opener vs. Waupun . . . named AP second-team all-state and WFCA honorable mention all-state as a junior . . . selected 2011 Little Ten Back of the Year after setting career highs for carries (217), rushing yards (2,048) and rushing TDs (34) . . . produced seven 200-yard rushing games as a junior . . . put together a late-season streak of four-straight 200-yard games. . . had seven scoring runs of over 70 yards in 2011, including a 95-yard TD run at West Bend West and a 99-yard TD burst vs. Hartford . . . rushed 40 times for a school single-game record 329 yards and five TDs vs. Watertown . . . picked up 229 yards on 16 attempts and scored five times in the 2011 season opener vs. Waupun . . . carried 188 times for 1,274 yards and 18 TDs as a sophomore in 2010 . . . gained 468 yards on 58 attempts and scored five rushing TDs as a freshman in 2009 . . . son of Erin Broome . . . born May 6, 1994 . . . mother Erin Broome played guard on the Wisconsin women’s basketball team (1992-93) . . . father Rodney Shelton played football for the Badgers (lettered in 1991) . . . majored in advertising.

The four-year letterwinner at Michigan State who grew up as a multi-sport athlete growing up, and that is where he evolved into a multi-dimensional football player with the Spartans.

Selected to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Shelton will be able to show first hand to the attending NFL Scouting departments his versatile resume as an offensive/special team’s weapon.

Shelton was a team leader and MVP Voted the most valuable player (Governor’s Award) by his teammates his senior season, which speaks volumes to his locker room presence and importance to his teammates. Not a blazer and will need to show he has the legs to be an explosive player at the next level.

Has nice size and plays with strength. Shelton uses his hands well at the line and does a solid route running routes. The NFLPA invite, displays good instincts and vision with the football in his hands. Shows good return ability and is a player to be trusted in the clutch. He was valuable weapon on third downs. Overall, he is an excellent worker who is smart and mature.

Shelton is a top level young man and should find his way to the final 53-man roster. The combination of his skills and demeanor, will speak volumes in the interview process moving forward.