Michigan State Football: Players react to Spring Showcase performance

Michigan State football players react to the team’s performance following the 2024 Spring Showcase at Spartan Stadium.

The Michigan State football Spring Showcase provided a lot of things to discuss as we get closer to the 2024 season.

In the press conferences following the game, the media had access to talk with three players: Dillon Tatum, Aidan Chiles, and Nate Carter. Each had a lot to say about all the changes going on in East Lansing under this new regime.

Dillon Tatum: “We are becoming very big and very aggressive.”

While it was not a stellar day for the defense at the Spring Showcase, Dillon Tatum had a lot to say about the improvement of the defense. He discussed how the focus is to become much bigger and more aggressive compared to last year. He personally is trying to do that as well as adjust to playing as a safety. Tatum was also very high on the amount of progress that the defense has made over spring practices. While it did not necessarily translate to the field, he said that it still was very early and not something to worry about at this point.

Dillon Tatum: “Elite quarterbacks like Aidan continuously give us work.”

This quote was in response to what it has been like to play against Aidan Chiles in practice. Tatum had only praise about not only Chiles, but the offense in general. According to him, the defense has been worked hard because the level of play from the offense is so high. This was clearly displayed by how the game ended up playing out. The offense at times made it look easy. The heightened quarterback play will continue to challenge the defense and make only force them to be better as we get closer to the beginning of the season.

Aidan Chiles: “The way I play is how the offense plays.”

Aidan Chiles has had a lot of change over the past few months. It is clear though that he is taking his new role as a leader very seriously. For someone who spent last season as a backup, he understands how important it is for him to be on his game. He later mentioned that the biggest adjustment to this has been how he “sees himself on the jumbotron every minute.” He looked every bit the part of starter though during the game as he showed the high level of awareness that he has, as well as the ability to hit his receivers in stride. The offense looks to be drastically better compared to last year with this continued improvement under the leadership of Chiles.

Aidan Chiles: “Nick is young, he is a baller, and he thrives off of his talent.”

When asked about freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh, Chiles could not stop singing his praises. Though they didn’t get much time together during the game, Chiles likes what he has been seeing from Marsh. Marsh had an outstanding day which included a 75-yard touchdown catch. He looks like he can be a big difference-maker for this team. His quarterback backed that up with his comments following the game.

Nate Carter: “We want to focus on getting the simple things right this year.”

It took only two plays for Nate Carter to go to the house during the Spring Showcase. He had a lot of help from the offensive line, which looks greatly improved. It seems though that this is mostly because of the details that the team is focusing on. This echoes what Smith said in his press conference as well. It seems as though the new regime is already allowing these guys to focus in on the details of their game. This sounds very promising, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Nate Carter: “The energy is high, and guys want to come into the building this year.”

Obviously the last year of Michigan State football has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Imagine having to go through that as a player. The fact that Carter is making an emphasis on how happy everyone is with this change just shows how disjointed everything was last season. Hopefully the change in culture and leadership continues to positively benefit the players as they finish the spring and get ready for the summer and the new season.

Overall thoughts

This team feels different. The energy is much more positive and there seems to be a good level of hope. That may be wishful thinking, but it is true. This team feels as though it has a coach who is already respected, and players who are stepping up into those leadership positions. It will be very exciting to continue covering what happens as we continue to build towards the 2024 Michigan State football season.