Michigan State football: Recap of Jonathan Smith’s pre-Maryland Monday Press Conference

On Monday, Michigan State football head coach Jonathan Smith spoke to the local media. The head coach spoke regarding multiple topics, including his future. With Iowa in the rear view mirror and Maryland on the horizon, how did the coach sound about his team?

Iowa Thoughts

Smith was quick to praise his defense for the effort that they had against the Hawkeyes, with Michigan State holding Iowa on the ropes for most of the game. The defensive line pushed around Iowa, and held Mark Gronowski to 147 passing yards. However, Smith did agree that late, there were a few issues.

Offensively, Smith was happy with the play of redshirt freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, praising his toughness. However, the fourth quarter play of the team was a topic that needed to be addressed, and Smith said that there were not a ton of Iowa adjustments that hurt the Spartans, but instead, it was a lack of execution and focus.

On special teams, Smith conceded that there needed to be adjustments. The original goal was to try and challenge Iowa’s All-American punt returner, and that needed to change fast. Smith said that later they had moved away from this view, but it can be argued he did not move fast enough. Iowa had two long returns in the first quarter alone, including a touchdown.

Special Teams Woes

When asked about the issues the Spartans have had on special teams, Smith categorized the recent struggles into three categories. First, Michigan State football has more film out now, being 11 games into the season, and that has allowed teams to scheme for their special teams calls.

Secondly, the Spartans have quite a few injuries piling up, which leads to different players in on the unit, which leads to communication breakdowns.

Finally, there is also the topic of other teams making “good plays” to blow up the Spartan special teams.

The future of Smith and Michigan State football

Smith tried to talk around this one, mostly reiterating his focus on the upcoming game against Maryland and holding the locker room together. However, when pressed, Smith said that he had not had a clear-cut conversation where he was assured of his role in leading Michigan State football in 2026.

With the coaching carousel in full affect, the rumors can swirl if East Lansing will be shopping for a coach in the next week.

When asked if two years was a reasonable timeline to turn around the program, Smith dodged it for the most part, but did compare it to microwave cooking food instead of slow cooking it. He also stated that, had four of the Spartans’ competitive games played out differently, there would be a lot different discussions and more celebration, which is a fair assessment.

Aidan Chiles Health Update

Overall, the update on Chiles was the only overall health update for Michigan State football this week, with the coach being hopeful that the quarterback can be fully cleared for Saturday’s game. He was not medically cleared for the Iowa contest, as the coach revealed on Saturday night and again on Monday.

If he is healthy to play, Smith did not rule out playing the junior captain against the Terrapins.

Travel Roster

With this game being a “home” game, but travelling to Detroit, the question became if the Spartans get their full roster or a 74-man travel roster. The coach revealed that MSU will only get 74 players on their sidelines on Saturday, as this is categorized as a neutral site game. Frankly, that becomes a failure in the administrative field to lose out on more players getting to dress.

Considering the widely-known knowledge that MSU is not exactly running out of tickets to sell in Ford Field, this is looking like a failure of a plan by the last athletic director. Combine that with MSU doing this for free, and not with any compensation, and that is not great, to say the least.

Younger Players Standing Out

Smith shouted out a few players when asked about who was shining as a younger player with slightly expanded roles as the season winds down. The coach had a shoutout for Keshawn Williams, a redshirt freshman cornerback who is starring on special teams.

Additionally, the coach mentioned the two redshirt freshman starting lineman, Rakeem Johnson and Rustin Young, along with sophomore running back Brandon Tullis, on offense. Defensively, true freshman Aydan West got a mention for his play during the season.

Maryland Preview

Smith was quick to praise the Terrapins, pointing out how their freshman quarterback has developed throughout the season. Additionally, the Maryland defense was mentioned, as Smith noted their ability to force turnovers throughout the season. There was praise for embattled head coach Mike Locksley, who is on a losing streak as well.

Overall, with the amount of time Smith mentioned the focus on executing against the Terrapins, there should be a clear re-invigorated Spartan squad facing Maryland.

What’s next?

Michigan State football will end their season against Maryland at Ford Field on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST.