Disrespect or Reality? What's Being Said About Jonathan Smith, Michigan State Football
Michigan State football is starting a new era with new head coach Jonathan Smith. Coach Smith has seen many players leave for the transfer portal, like Derrick Harmon, Geno VanDemark and Jaden Mangham. He has also brought in players who played under him at Oregon State, like Aidan Chiles and Jack Velling, as well as other players from different schools, like Jordan Turner from Wisconsin and Ed Woods from Arizona State.
Fanduel Sportsbook has released the regular season win total for the upcoming football season for the Big Ten. According to Fandual, Michigan State has a projected win total of 4.5, which is tied for last with the Purdue Boilermakers.
On3’s Jesse Simonton recently went over all of the Big Ten win totals and has stated that the Michigan State win total was “just right,” meaning that the Spartans should be looked at as one of the worst teams in the Big Ten this upcoming year.
“The Spartans are a program in transition, as new head coach Jonathan Smith was hired to clean up the mess left over by Mel Tucker & Co. Michigan State upgraded at quarterback this offseason (potential star in ex-Oregon State quarterback Aidan Chiles) but the rest of the roster was raided by portal departures — including multiple defensive tackles this spring.” Simonton said.
Simonton also stated, “Still, while Year 1 looks like a reset, this is a team that essentially quit on the 2023 season and still won four games. Their schedule is quite similar this fall, too: Super difficult in some spots (Ohio State, at Oregon, at Michigan) with winnable games elsewhere. A Week 4 road trip at Boston College could be the key to flirting with bowl eligibility.”
Many analysts don't have Michigan State being competitive this year and believe that this should be a learning year for the Spartans. Coach Smith should mostly be focused on the development of the young players like Chiles and wide receiver Nick Marsh. Those two could be a great dynamic duo for the Spartans for the next couple of years if Smith takes his time in development.
It's going to be a tough year for Michigan State fans this season; however, with time and patience, Smith can help the Spartans get back to the college football playoffs for the first time since 2015.
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