Hunter Rison, Son of a Super Bowl Champion, Aims to Write His Own Legacy

ADDISON, Ill. — The moment when "Dad" became "NFL star" is still crystal clear for Michigan State wide receiver commit Hunter Rison.

The receiver from Ann Arbor, Michigan, remembers watching film of his father, 1989 NFL first-round draft pick Andre Rison, during his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts. It was a rookie season that included 52 receptions and four touchdowns, but it also included one signature play that fascinated his son.

"He caught a pass on a curl [route], and then he did a move to make a guy fall," Hunter said. "He then juked, made two more dudes miss and scored.

"That's when it really hit me. I mean, he was on some other stuff."

Andre Rison earned five Pro Bowl appearances and won a Super Bowl in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 1996. He also won a Grey Cup championship in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004. Before the pro success, Andre established himself as one Michigan State's all-time great receivers in the 1980s. His career numbers rank among the top five in almost every receiver category.

It's knowledge that Hunter is well-versed in. Consider his father's stats and achievements as the ultimate goal as he prepares for college football.

"He tells me I can be better than him," Hunter said. "I always strive to be, not to show him up but just as a goal of mine. I've got a chip on my shoulder. I don't want to be known as Andre Rison's son all my life.

"I want to be known as Hunter Rison." 

Credit: Student Sports

Being a Legacy

Measuring at 5'11" and 197 pounds at The Opening Chicago regional, Hunter Rison is a 4-star player who first committed to Michigan State while at a Spartans camp the summer before the start of his junior season. He was their first pledge of the 2017 class, but he would go on to decommit in November to explore options, only to recommit on April 1. He selected Michigan State over schools such as Ohio State, Alabama, Miami, Penn State, Oregon, Oklahoma and UCLA.

"Seeing the past, I realized that's where I come from, what I was born into," Rison said of Michigan State. "I think about the present; they're winning now and really have solidified themselves as a national champion contender.

"Coach [Mark] Dantonio is known for making 2-stars into NFL draft picks. Now he has this pool of talent coming in, and the future is about to be crazy once it all comes to fruition. We're setting a goal to win that national championship."

Rison plays for his father, who coaches receivers at Skyline High School. Andre Rison watched his son emerge as a dynamic, reliable receiver who, per MLive, had 1,046 receiving yards and 10 touchdown passes as a junior.

"I've seen him make some catches I've never made...and I thought I pretty much made all of them," the elder Rison said.

Some consider Michigan State lucky to have held on to Rison. He decommitted in November citing that he made a rushed decision but remained high on the Spartans.

"A lot of kids hadn't thought about committing when I did," he said. "I felt like I rushed it and did it in the heat of the moment. I figured I needed to take a step back and play the [junior] season and see what other colleges give me interest."

After weighing his options, Rison recommitted to Michigan State on April 1. What may have won him over, he said, is that Dantonio and his staff were supportive of his original decision to explore options and take his time with the process. Rison added that Dantonio told him that the offer would always be there, regardless of his decision.

"

COMMITTED✳️⚔#V4MSU (not a joke) pic.twitter.com/at2FcM4dFJ

— Hunter Rison (@hunterrison) April 1, 2016"

Rison had heard about Michigan State's loyalty and family environment from his father multiple times. The conversations with Dantonio, receivers coach Terrence Samuel and recruiting coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brad Salem ultimately helped put a bow on his recruiting.

"That stuck with me," he said. "For them to show consistent love, even with all the new offers, it just showed that's where I needed to be. My dad and I weighed out all the pros and cons, and Michigan State seemed to win every battle."

Recruiting, Rison said, is a closed chapter. Now, it's time to prepare for a productive senior season at Skyline.

From there, it's all about the chase of his father's accolades.

"I want to, for sure, break his marks at MSU," he said. "I want to go first round [in the NFL draft] like he did, but I want to go higher. He went 22nd to the Colts; I want to go higher. He scored 52 TDs in his first five years; I want to have more."

Andrew Innerarity/Associated Press

Chasing Dad

Rison described his father as "the Antonio Brown of his time." Andre Rison had 80 or more receptions in five of his first six NFL seasons. He finished his career with 743 catches for 10,205 yards and 84 touchdowns.

Hunter said there are definite similarities and differences between him and his father. Both are outgoing individuals off the field, and they both take pride in being the best athlete on the field. Hunter admits that his father was faster and more of a showman.

Andre doesn't worry about his son's speed.

"In the near future, he'll be running 4.4s," the elder Rison said of his son, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds at The Opening Chicago regional. "By the time he turns 20, he'll be running 4.4s. Trust me."

Andre also said he wants his son to keep his reputation clean on and off the field. As talented as the former pro was, he had to overcome a tainted past that included legal issues, verbal and physical spats with teammates and a rocky, publicized relationship with the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, formerly of R&B group TLC.

Andre had a nickname of "Bad Moon," and that person, off the field, is someone he's made certain his son has avoided. On the field, however, Hunter is looking to put up big numbers, and Andre is working with his son to be better than he was.

"I want him to be better than me, and I know he can be," Andre said of Hunter.

Is there pressure to carry on the family name? It's something of a loaded question for the younger Rison, but it's one he never dances around.

"We talk about it all the time, and there's always going to be pressure," he said. "What he did was so big. It's just crazy sometimes to think that it was my dad doing it.

"I can handle the pressure, though. He tells me just to stay true to my game and play my game. People are going to always put pressure on me, but it's always going to come down to what I do. If he's teaching me the game, I know I can handle it."

Credit: 247Sports.com

Hunter's mental approach to the game is one of the things Andre appreciates most. Andre said his son understands the position he's been put in, and he works hard to perfect everything he does on the field.

The elder Rison called his son's grind "hardcore."

"He's a great kid, first of all," Andre said. "I think that's going to carry over to him getting better as a football player. Right now, we're just working on him letting a bad play go. He can get disgruntled in trying to make every catch or run every route perfectly.

"I tell kids all the time that I've never played a game and graded out 100 percent."

Hunter spends just as much time in the film room as he does on the field. He's a true student of the game and he makes attention to detail a part of his character. His father said there's a definite level of focus Michigan State fans will notice about him the minute he steps on campus.

For Hunter, it helps knowing that he's looking to put his name in the record books beside the man who is raising and training him. There's added incentive in wanting to maintain the Spartans legacy while also starting a side chapter in those record books.

"Just knowing what my dad did, it's pretty cool," he said. "But he knows I'm coming for [his records]."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles