Michigan State's 2023 college football season will be memorable off the field, and it's no wonder fans want to forget it.
As uncertainty gripped the program, the Spartans went 4-8, tied for the second fewest wins in a full season since 1992. But through those struggles, Jonathan Smith saw promise.
During an appearance on ESPN's “College GameDay” podcast this week, MSU's new football coach said that despite finishing just 2-7 in Big Ten play, he was impressed with the team he saw on film. I was very impressed.”
Must read:Michigan State football's new coordinator determined to create what Mel Tucker couldn't do
“I know they didn't win as many games as they would have liked, but they continued through all the distractions that were going on,” Smith said. “They were still competitive. They played tough in the second half. They won four games. They had a chance to win six or seven games because they were so distracted. I thought, “I actually thought there was a competitive nature here.''
The Spartans consistently lost heavily last season, with five of their eight losses being by at least 21 points. But there were also games where they were more competitive. Perhaps no game was more missed than in the 27-24 loss to Rutgers on Oct. 14, when Michigan State trailed by 18 points in the fourth quarter.
This was the fourth loss in a six-game losing streak, and the Spartans bounced back to win two of their final four games, defeating Nebraska and Indiana by three points each.
In his first few months on the job, Smith was able to retain several key contributors from the team he inherited, including Derrick Harmon, Simeon Burrow, and Geno Vandemark, who entered the transfer portal. This included players who had withdrawn.
“Once we get back to the ability to keep a lot of players, it gives us even more optimism that we can do something,” Smith said.
Whatever hopes Michigan State had for last season, the day after the team's second game of the season, the coach was announced on September 10th due to allegations of sexual misconduct by prominent sexual assault scandal Brenda Tracy. Mel Tucker was suspended and suffered a setback. advocate. Tucker was ultimately fired for cause on Sept. 27, and Smith was hired two months later after six successful years as head coach at his alma mater, Oregon State. .
Must read:Why did Keon Coleman attend a Michigan State basketball game? MSU: 'I'm always home'
In addition to the players they were able to retain from last year's team, Smith brings in a transfer class ranked No. 21 nationally by 247Sports. Among them are two four-star transfers brought in from Oregon State, quarterback Aidan Childs and tight end Jack Vering.
Chiles, a four-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class who is still six months shy of his 19th birthday, will enter the 2024 season as a top candidate to be Michigan State's starting quarterback. In an interview with ESPN, Smith praised not only Chiles' ability, but also how he works with the Spartans' returning players.
“We’re really lucky to have him with us and go to work,” Smith said. “I'm also grateful for him coming to Michigan State over the past few months. He's not trying to be the face of the program from the get-go. He's just going to work with the players and make those extra throws. . I'm very excited to continue to watch his progress.”
