3 New Year's Resolutions for Michigan State Football
The new year is finally here and the 2023 college football season is nearly over. Michigan State missed out on a bowl game for the second straight season while archrival Michigan is set to play in the National Championship on Monday night against Washington.
While 2023 was disappointing for Spartan fans there is much to look forward to in the new year. With new head coach Jonathan Smith at the helm, there will be a new look to Michigan State football behind a new staff with a different philosophy. Smith will lay this program’s foundation in 2024.
The new staff has been able to retain several starters from last season and has added players in the transfer portal at positions of need. A high school recruiting class with nine players in November grew to 18 signees. With a strong finish to 2023, here are three goals for Michigan State football moving forward into 2024.
1.) More Competition in the Spring Game
Under previous head coach Mel Tucker, the “spring game” was more of a practice format that was open to the public. Fans have clamored for a real spring game for the past four years, and there are benefits for players competing in actual game scenarios. From what we’ve seen in Smith’s time at Oregon State, his spring games were an offense vs. defense game format. With nine freshmen enrolling in January and a whole new quarterback room, it is important for next year’s Spartans to play in game scenarios at game speed. For the returning players, learning new systems on both offense and defense with new coaches, it would be beneficial to get a taste of a game-type operation.
An actual spring game would give fans an idea what to look forward to in the fall. Many are eager to see Oregon State transfer quarterback Aidan Chiles, as he is MSU’s presumed starter for 2024. Chiles is the top QB transfer in the country according to 247Sports rankings and showed flashes of his talent in the limited time he got last year at Oregon State. On defense, new defensive coordinator Joe Rossi comes over from Minnesota with a completely new scheme for the Spartans. A spring game will give an opportunity for us to see what the defense may look like, potential position changes for players and who has improved in the offseason.
2.) Find an Offensive Identity
Outside of retaining wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins, Michigan State’s entire offensive staff comes over from Oregon State. New offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren will give the Spartans an identity of “smash-mouth football” with a West Coast influence. This style of offense is a fit for the Big Ten, with modern and creative passing concepts.
A true dual-threat quarterback in Chiles alongside running back Nathan Carter could be a lethal duo for MSU. The two playmaking threats in the backfield can keep defense’s guessing and play-action can open wide receivers up in the passing game. The last two seasons, the Spartans offense seemed very predictable for opposing defenses and they struggled to move the ball. With a dual-threat QB and play-caller who uses play action and motion to deceive defenses, the Spartans can have more success.
The development of the offensive line under highly-regarded position coach Jim Michalczik will determine the level of success Michigan State achieves in 2024. MSU has struggled to move the line of scrimmage in the running game for years, which contributed to past offenses becoming predictable. If the offensive line improves in the run game, the Spartans could be ahead of schedule in Smith’s first year.
3.) Reach a Bowl Game
Conference realignment has made the Spartans schedule in the Big Ten difficult. An early-season road test at Maryland is followed by a four-game stretch of Ohio State, at Oregon, Iowa and at Michigan mid-season. Scheduling a non-conference game at Boston College makes 2024 tough for any coach in their first year. With that said, Michigan State retained and added enough talent to win at least six games.
The Spartans will be heavy favorites against two “Group of Five” opponents in Florida Atlantic and Louisiana. After the four-game gauntlet mentioned above, Michigan State ends the year with four winnable games against Indiana, at Illinois, Purdue, and Rutgers. Amongst that foursome, only the Scarlet Knights have comparable talent, and the Spartans should win all four without the coaching distractions they had in 2023.
Even in Smith’s first year the expectation should be to make a bowl game with this schedule. In the past two years, 13 of MSU’s 15 losses have been by 10 points or more, including eight losses by 20 or more. In the event the Spartans don’t make a bowl game, Michigan State at least needs to be more competitive in their losses.
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