Jonathan Smith reveals most competitive positions battles on defense

Many things are going to look different for Michigan State football in 2024. There’s a new coach in the form of Jonathan Smith, and in this day and age, that often means a vastly overhauled roster — and the Spartans are no exception.

So as new head coach Smith and Co. pilot this team into fall camp, there are some position battles to watch closely as the Michigan State depth chart takes shape. And early on, Smith identified three groups, two on defense, that should have some stiff competition for playing time.

“Well, you know, every one,” Smith said. “But I’ll be curious with the type of players we’ve got at inside linebacker, that group. The receivers, I felt like as a group had a pretty good summer and so that’s going to be competitive on playing time there. It’s hard to just point out two groups. That secondary, there’s so new faces there. We’ve got some guys that’ve played some football, we’ve got some competition going there.”

Right now, a pair of redshirt seniors are likely to lead the way at middle linebacker in the form of Cal Haladay and Jordan Turner, both experienced pieces for the Spartans.

Defensive back will be harder to suss out until closer to Week 1, as Michigan State is blending a batch of transfers with returners for competition across all five spots: both corners, both safeties and the nickel position.

Right now, it’s a safe bet that Dillon Tatum slots in as a starter, and players like Angelo Grose and Charles Brantley have plenty of playing experience. Transfers like Ed Woods could also factor in at the corner position.

As for the wideout spot, the Spartans do have a few decently experienced veterans in Montorie Foster and Alante Brown, plus a tantalizing freshman talent in Nick Marsh. A few others, like Jaron Glover and Antonio Gates Jr. — indeed the son of the legendary NFL tight end — are likely to be notable pass catchers.

But with fall camp just getting underway, evidently Smith and his coaching staff are happy to watch these position battles play out for a bit.

Smith is bringing a simple mantra to his job leading the Spartans

Given a full offseason to prepare for the new Big Ten Conference and adjust to Smith’s day-to-day operations, the first-year Spartans head coach feels good about where his team’s at heading into fall camp. He also revealed the mindset that his team is taking with this into the final stretch of preseason preparations.

“I’ve always learned a long time ago, low ego, high output,” Smith said at Big Ten Media Days. “How we approach it or how we play the game, how we prepare for it, even how you function as a staff, not keeping it just about yourself. This current roster, I am excited about in regards to I think we’ve got some talent, but we do have some guys that have a care factor for this game, not just about playing because there’s so much work that goes into it and the work needs to be done together.

“This is the ultimate team game. So trying to fill the locker room with guys that understand and want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and I think we’ve got a lot of those guys.”