Insider Praises Future of Michigan State Football, Jonathan Smith

A well-renowned insider has faith in the future of Michigan State football with Jonathan Smith at the helm.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Pate is a well-respected insider in the college football media landscape. Pate's show, "Late Kick," covers all of college football, whether it's covering games, recruiting or covering the transfer portal.

During Big Ten Football Media Days last week, first-year Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith took the podium and discussed the current state of Michigan State football. Smith talked about what his goals are for his first year in East Lansing, as well as how he plans to build Michigan State back into a contender.

Pate posted on X, “Jonathan Smith will win at Michigan State.” Pate would later clarify his comment on "Late Kick."

“I think Michigan State, not next year but in the coming years, will be the team that every year when we come to this event will be circled as a dark horse,” Pate said. “I'm very confident in saying this from a raw football standpoint, Jonathan Smith knows what he is doing. So everything that Michigan State should be, their identity, it kind of overlaps with what [Smith’s] identity is.”

For this upcoming season, Pate doesn't seem all that confident in Michigan State to win this year, as he doesn't know whether to bet the over or under on the projected 4.5 win total for the Spartans.

Coach Smith has a lot of work to do in rebuilding Michigan State's identity as it has had a rough few years with former head coach Mel Tucker. Under Tucker, there was no offensive or defensive identity aside from 2021, when there was an outstanding run game.

Michigan State likely won't be a contender next year and could very well be one of the bottom teams in the Big Ten. However, keep in mind, Michigan State has a very tough schedule this season with a new regime at the helm. As Pate said, though, in the coming years, Michigan State will be a dark horse championship team under Smith.

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