Nick King/Lansing State Journal
August 26, 2024 11: 42 am ET
Michigan State football is formally back. On Friday, the Spartans will host the FAU Owls in Spartan Stadium to kickoff their veryfirst season under brand-new head coach Jonathan Smith.
Last year was one of the uglier seasons we haveactually seen out of East Lansing in a long time, with a scandal looming over the program and an on-field item that looked, rather honestly, useless.
But there were some brilliant areas, and Jonathan Smith likewise brought in a cast of brand-new transfers to aid strengthen the ranks. Below, we appearance at 5 things we will be enjoying in the season opener versus Florida Atlantic.
Aidan Chiles
Nick King/LSJ
This one is apparent. Aidan Chiles has just tossed 35 passes in his college profession, however the Spartans are putting their faith in the young 18 year old quarterback from Long Beach. Fans and media members alike will be tuning to see if the buzz around Chiles is for genuine, or if we may be in for a advancement season out of him.
The Offensive Line
Nick King/LSJ
The offensive line for Michigan State last year was difficult to watch. Poor Nate Carter would frequently have to make protectors missouton in a backfield filled with protectors. The young quarterbacks MSU attempted to win with were continuously under pressure. Enter brand-new offending line coach Jim Michalczik and transfers Tanner Miller and Luke Newman. I believe the offensive line will be much muchbetter this year, however it will be appealing to see how they are choosing up on what is allegedly a more complex stopping plan under Michalczik.
The Pass Defense
Nick King/LSJ
Even when Michigan State played well under Mel Tucker, they had a weak secondary. It was really annoying to watch from a program that was when home to the ‘No Fly Zone.’ In a packed Big Ten Conference, MSU will requirement to be able to protect the pass if they wear’t desire to get ashamed this season by star quarterbacks like Dillon Gabriel.
Wide Receivers
Nick King/LSJ
MSU has one pass catcher, tight end Jack Velling, who has a lot of buzz going into the year, however there hasn’t been that much buzz around the receivers. However, there is a lot of skill in that space, from the talented freshman Nick Marsh, to stable veteran existence Montorie Foster. Someone I’m personally thrilled to see more of is Antonio Gates Jr., a declared hire who hasn’t had a huge chance yet to program what he can do.
Nate Carter
Nick King/LSJ
As we pointedout above, MSU’s offensive line was terrible, terrible, rank, and flat-out difficult to watch last year. Even with that, you might still see that MSU discovered something in previous UConn transfer Nate Carter. The running back still hurried for 798 backyards while