Jonathan Smith impressed by Michigan State's communication in spring

Michigan State is rapidly improving under Jonathan Smith. In April, the Spartans’ new head coach revealed where he’s seen the team make the most growth.

“We got some things established, all three phases,” Smith said. “Even just how we practice, how we communicate. I think our growth defensively in communication, from practice one to 15, is like night and day, because that’s a huge part of it. That’s was an emphasis Coach Rossi has been hammering those guys.

“We’ve gotten better on that communication side. I thought our tackling, for the most part, when we tackled throughout the spring, was solid. We’re always thinking about that, and we’ve got some athletes out there that can make some plays.”

Michigan State has no shortage of areas to make improvement. The Spartans finished last season with a 4-8 record and a 2-7 mark in conference play, the program’s worst since 2020.

Smith joined the program this offseason following an odd string of circumstances. Michigan State fired head coach Mel Tucker in late September after the university received sexual misconduct complaint brought by Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault awareness speaker.

Harlon Barnett was promoted to interim head coach after the program parted ways with Tucker. However, Barnett was unable to turn the Spartans’ season around. Only three days after MSU lost its final game of the season against Penn State, the program named Smith its next head coach.

Since the hire, Michigan State has seen a makeover. As of this report, 37 MSU players have entered the transfer portal. In contrast, the program has added 15 players in the portal, headlined by quarterback Aidan Chiles, who followed Smith to East Lansing from Oregon State.

While this spring has been a tumultuous time for MSU, Smith is happy with the progress his team has made and is embracing the obstacles ahead.

“That’s why you coach, is you enjoy improvement and the process that takes,” Smith said. “Yeah, we’ve got a long way to go. I enjoy, this coaching staff enjoys that process of improvement and development, especially working with a group (like this). These guys like football, they like being around, they like practicing, they like studying it. As a coach, you enjoy that part.”

It won’t be long for Jonathan Smith debuts his first MSU squad in front of the nation. On Aug. 31, the Spartans will kick off the season in a showdown against FAU.