Michigan State Football Adds Another Quarterback to Program

Coach Jonathan Smith and the Michigan State coaching staff continue to add various levels of talent to their roster.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith looks on during the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Coach Jonathan Smith has continued to find talent to add to Michigan State’s roster from various sources. During his short time in East Lansing, Coach Smith has shown that when it comes to recruiting, he does not put much stock into a player’s ranking. Smith and his coaching staff’s indifference to recruits’ rankings is admirable.

In a college football era where players are defined by stars and rankings, Smith and his coaching staff looking past recruits’ rankings show how confident they are that they can coach up a wide array of players, whether they are unranked or highly-ranked. The fact that Smith and his coaching staff have such a strong belief in their coaching abilities speaks volumes. 

It also shows that Smith and his coaching staff understand how often players who are not highly-ranked end up being contributors, sometimes even significant contributors, to college football programs around the country. Smith’s recruiting technique can pay off, assuming he and his coaching staff are correct about their coaching abilities. However, time will tell if they are accurate or not.

Smith's ability to look past a player’s rankings is also admirable because it gives many talented players a chance but would be overlooked by most schools, who are more concerned with a player’s ranking than Smith and his coaching staff. Smith’s open-mindedness on the recruiting trail will allow players who are unranked or not ranked highly the chance to develop, which is all many low-ranked players need.

Michigan State and Smith recently added another unranked player who they hope will be a serviceable addition to their roster. Although Michigan State’s quarterback position is set, as Aidan Chiles is the clear starter, Smith and his coaching staff brought in another quarterback, Atticus Carridine. 

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Ypsilanti, Michigan native graduated from Ypsilanti Community High School and joined Michigan State as a walk-on. As a former walk-on quarterback, Smith likely sees some of his younger self. in Carridine. As Smith and his coaching staff continue to try to rebuild Michigan State’s football program, they will undoubtedly need all the help they can get.

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