Preseason Camp Preview
7/26/2024 11:08:00 AM | Football
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Spartans start preseason practice on Tuesday, July 30.
â–ºSPARTAN FOOTBALL NEWS AND NOTES
• Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith will make his Spartan coaching debut on Friday, Aug. 30 as the Spartans host Florida Atlantic in the season opener in East Lansing. Smith was named Michigan State's 26th head football coach on Nov. 25, 2023.
• Named the 2022 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year, Smith built Oregon State into one of the top teams in the conference during his six seasons (2018-23) as the head coach in Corvallis. He led the Beavers to a 25-13 record and three bowl berths the past three seasons (2021-23), including a No. 17 ranking in 2022 and a win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl. He also has experience coaching in the College Football Playoff as an offensive coordinator at Washington in 2016.
• MSU will open preseason camp on Tuesday, July 30 in preparation for the season opener on Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic.
• The Spartans are returning 36 letterwinners from last season's team, including 21 on defense, 13 on offense and two on special teams. MSU has 21 position players returning with starting experience, including six on offense and 15 on defense.
• Michigan State returns its leading rusher (Nathan Carter, 185 carries for 798 yards and four touchdowns) and receiver (Montorie Foster Jr., 43 catches for 576 yards and three TDs) on offense and its leader in tackles (Cal Haladay, 91 tackles) from last season's team.
• Michigan State will have a new look at quarterback in 2024 with four new additions to the QB room. Sophomore Aidan Chiles, the No. 2 transfer portal quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports, gained valuable experience in a backup role at Oregon State last season, while sixth-year graduate transfer Tommy Schuster comes to East Lansing for his last season of eligibility after starting 42 games at North Dakota. MSU signed two freshmen to NLIs in December – Alessio Milivojevic and Ryland Jessee – and they both arrived on campus in January.
â–ºTRANSFER BREAKDOWN
• The Spartans are welcoming 28 transfers to the 2024 roster. Eleven transfers joined the team in January and participated in spring practice, while 17 transfers arrived to campus over the summer.
Here's a breakdown of the incoming transfers by conference/division:
»Pac-12 (5): QB Aidan Chiles (Oregon State), C Tanner Miller (Oregon State), DL Ben Roberts (Oregon), TE Jack Velling (Oregon State), DB Ed Woods (Arizona State)
»Big Ten (5): LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan), DL Ru'Quan Buckley (Nebraska), OL Andrew Dennis (Illinois), DL Anthony Jones (Indiana), LB Jordan Turner (Wisconsin)
»ACC (3): DB Lejond Cavazos (North Carolina), DL D'Quan Douse (Georgia Tech), LB Marcellius Pulliam (Miami)
»Sun Belt (3): LB Wayne Matthews III (Old Dominion), DL Jalen Satchell (Old Dominion), LS Kaden Schickel (James Madison)
»FCS (3): DB Aveon Grose (Southern Illinois), OL Luke Newman (Holy Cross), QB Tommy Schuster (North Dakota)
»Big 12 (2): LB Tyler Gillison (Cincinnati), DB Nikai Martinez (UCF)
»SEC (1): DB Jeremiah Hughes-LSU
»Independent (1): RB Kay'ron Lynch-Adams (Massachusetts)
»Conference USA (1): DL Quindarius Dunnigan (Middle Tennessee State)
»MAC (1): P Carson Voss (Western Michigan)
»Division II (1): LS Jack Carson Wentz (West Georgia)
»Division III (1): RB Shawn Foster (Hope College)
»Community College (1): TE Reeves Taylor (Ventura College)
â–ºQUICK LOOK AT THE 2024 SCHEDULE
• MSU's season opener will be on Friday, Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. This marks the 10th time in the past 14 years that Michigan State will open with a Friday night game in East Lansing; it's also the 12th time since 2011 that MSU will begin the season on a Friday night.
• In Week 2, the Spartans start conference play at Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m. in SECU Stadium on the Big Ten Network.
• MSU returns to nonconference action the next two weekends against Prairie View A&M in East Lansing (Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network) and on the road at Boston College (Sept. 21).
• The final eight games of the season are conference games. The Spartans host Ohio State on Sept. 28 before hitting the road at Oregon on Friday, Oct. 4 (9 p.m. ET on FOX).
• Following a bye week, Michigan State hosts Iowa on Oct. 19 for Homecoming and travels to Michigan on Oct. 26 to close out the month of October.
• In November, MSU will host Indiana for the Old Brass Spittoon on Nov. 2 before its second bye week of the year. The Spartans then travel to Illinois (Nov. 16) and host Purdue (Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. on FOX) and Rutgers (Nov. 30) to close out the regular season.
â–º2024 SPARTAN COACHING STAFF
• Jonathan Smith, who led Oregon State to new heights during his tenure over the past six seasons (2018-23), was named Michigan State University's 26th head football coach on Nov. 25, 2023.
• Named the 2022 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year, Smith built Oregon State into one of the top teams in the conference. He led the Beavers, who were ranked as high as 11th in the College Football Playoff rankings in 2023, to an 8-4 record in the regular season and their third straight bowl appearance, a first for the program since 2006-09. OSU went 25-13 in 2021-23 under Smith, including a No. 17 ranking in 2022 and a win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl. He also has experience coaching in the College Football Playoff as an offensive coordinator at Washington in 2016.
• Known for developing talent, the 45-year-old Smith coached eight All-Americans during his OSU tenure, including five his last two seasons (OL Taliese Fuaga, OL Tanner Miller and DB Kitan Oladapo in 2023; WR/PR Anthony Gould, LB Jack Colletto and Fuaga in 2022). In addition, Colletto was named the 2022 Paul Hornung Award winner for the nation's most versatile player, marking Oregon State's fourth major award winner in school history. Smith also coached two Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Players of the Year in Jermar Jefferson (2018) and Damien Martinez (2022) and four Freshman All-Americans overall. OSU tallied 74 All-Pac-12 selections during Smith's six seasons in Corvallis.
• Six of Smith's assistants at Oregon State joined him in East Lansing: secondary coach Blue Adams, assistant head coach/running backs coach/co-special teams coordinator Keith Bhonapha, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jim Michalczik, defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa and tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Brian Wozniak. Smith also hired Joe Rossi as the program's defensive coordinator/linebackers coach, Chad Wilt as the co-special teams coordinator/rush ends coach and Demetrice Martin as the cornerbacks coach, while wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins enters his fifth season as an assistant at MSU.
• Blue Adams, who brings nearly 15 years of coaching experience with him to East Lansing, including stints at both the collegiate and NFL levels, is the program's secondary coach. Adams spent five seasons (2019-23) on Smith's staff as the secondary coach at Oregon State. Adams also coached four seasons as an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins (2012-15) before returning to the college ranks at West Virginia (2016) and South Florida (2017-18).
• Keith Bhonapha (BONE-uh-fuh) has 20 years of collegiate experience, most recently with Smith at Oregon State in 2023. An assistant head coach, Bhonapha is the running backs coach and will also serve as the program's co-special teams coordinator and hold play-calling responsibilities for that unit.
• Courtney Hawkins returns for his fifth season as Michigan State's wide receivers coach. A nine-year NFL veteran, Hawkins has helped develop NFL Draft picks Jayden Reed (Packers) and Jalen Nailor (Vikings) during his time in East Lansing.
• Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren spent the past six seasons (2018-23) in the same role at Oregon State. A two-time nominee for the Broyles Award, Lindgren helped build the Beavers into one of the most consistent offensive teams in the Pac-12. He coached eight NFL Draft picks and multiple All-Americans and first-team All-Pac-12 honorees during his Oregon State tenure.
• Former Spartan Demetrice Martin was named cornerbacks coach on Jan. 17 to complete Smith's on-field coaching staff. A four-year letterwinner at MSU from 1992-95, Martin has been a collegiate coach for more than 20 years, most recently as the cornerbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Oregon the past two seasons. He has also coached at USC (2006-07), Washington (2009-11), UCLA (2012-17), Arizona (2018-19) and Colorado (2020-21). Martin has worked with 18 All-Pac-12 defensive backs and has been on coaching staffs for 12 bowl games.
• Jim Michalczik (muh-hall-CHECK), who has more than 30 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and NFL levels, joined the Michigan State staff in December 2023 as the Spartans' offensive line coach/run game coordinator. Most recently, Michalczik was with Smith at Oregon State the past six seasons (2018-23). Michalczik was a nominee for the 2023 Broyles Award, which honors college football's top assistant coaches. His offensive lines at Oregon State were named semifinalists twice for the Joe Moore Award (2021, 2023).
• Secchia Family defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi spent the past six seasons (2018-23) at Minnesota, where he helped build the Gophers into one of the best defenses in the Big Ten as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Minnesota's defense ranked among the top 10 in the FBS in total defense three times (No. 3 in 2021, No. 8 in 2022, No. 10 in 2019) and scoring defense twice (No. 4 in 2022, No. 6 in 2021) under Rossi's direction. The two-time Broyles Award nominee coached 30 All-Big Ten honorees, two first-team All-Americans and 11 NFL Draft picks during his time in Minneapolis.
• A collegiate coaching veteran of more than 20 years, Lawrence "Legi" Suiaunoa (Leng-ee SOO-ee-ow-noah) joined the Michigan State staff as the Spartans' defensive line coach in December 2023. Suiaunoa spent the past six seasons (2018-23) on Smith's staff at Oregon State, and he also coached with Smith at Montana in 2011.
• Chad Wilt is in his first season as Michigan State's co-special teams coordinator/rush ends coach. Wilt, who has more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently spent the past two seasons (2022-23) as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Indiana. He also spent two years (2020-21) as the defensive line coach at Minnesota under current Spartan defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.
• Brian Wozniak (Wahz-nee-ack), who was on Jonathan Smith's staff the past six seasons at Oregon State, joined the MSU staff as the Spartans' tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in December 2023. After helping Oregon State to an 8-4 record in 2023 to become bowl eligible, Wozniak has now guided three teams to a bowl game as a coach and four as a player while at Wisconsin.
â–ºSPARTANS EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Several Michigan State Spartans have earned preseason honors entering the 2024 season.
• OL Brandon Baldwin (Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• RB Nathan Carter (Wuerffel Trophy Watch List; AFCA Good Works Team nominee; Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• P Ryan Eckley (Phil Steele, USA TODAY and Athlon Sports first-team All-Big Ten)
• DB Angelo Grose (Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• LB Cal Haladay (Athlon Sports third-team All-Big Ten)
• K Jonathan Kim (Phil Steele and Athlon Sports second-team All-Big Ten)
• LB Wayne Matthews III (Phil Steele third-team All-Big Ten)
• OL Luke Newman (Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• TE Jack Velling (Athlon Sports third-team All-Big Ten)
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• Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith will make his Spartan coaching debut on Friday, Aug. 30 as the Spartans host Florida Atlantic in the season opener in East Lansing. Smith was named Michigan State's 26th head football coach on Nov. 25, 2023.
• Named the 2022 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year, Smith built Oregon State into one of the top teams in the conference during his six seasons (2018-23) as the head coach in Corvallis. He led the Beavers to a 25-13 record and three bowl berths the past three seasons (2021-23), including a No. 17 ranking in 2022 and a win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl. He also has experience coaching in the College Football Playoff as an offensive coordinator at Washington in 2016.
• MSU will open preseason camp on Tuesday, July 30 in preparation for the season opener on Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic.
• The Spartans are returning 36 letterwinners from last season's team, including 21 on defense, 13 on offense and two on special teams. MSU has 21 position players returning with starting experience, including six on offense and 15 on defense.
• Michigan State returns its leading rusher (Nathan Carter, 185 carries for 798 yards and four touchdowns) and receiver (Montorie Foster Jr., 43 catches for 576 yards and three TDs) on offense and its leader in tackles (Cal Haladay, 91 tackles) from last season's team.
• Michigan State will have a new look at quarterback in 2024 with four new additions to the QB room. Sophomore Aidan Chiles, the No. 2 transfer portal quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports, gained valuable experience in a backup role at Oregon State last season, while sixth-year graduate transfer Tommy Schuster comes to East Lansing for his last season of eligibility after starting 42 games at North Dakota. MSU signed two freshmen to NLIs in December – Alessio Milivojevic and Ryland Jessee – and they both arrived on campus in January.
â–ºTRANSFER BREAKDOWN
• The Spartans are welcoming 28 transfers to the 2024 roster. Eleven transfers joined the team in January and participated in spring practice, while 17 transfers arrived to campus over the summer.
Here's a breakdown of the incoming transfers by conference/division:
»Pac-12 (5): QB Aidan Chiles (Oregon State), C Tanner Miller (Oregon State), DL Ben Roberts (Oregon), TE Jack Velling (Oregon State), DB Ed Woods (Arizona State)
»Big Ten (5): LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan), DL Ru'Quan Buckley (Nebraska), OL Andrew Dennis (Illinois), DL Anthony Jones (Indiana), LB Jordan Turner (Wisconsin)
»ACC (3): DB Lejond Cavazos (North Carolina), DL D'Quan Douse (Georgia Tech), LB Marcellius Pulliam (Miami)
»Sun Belt (3): LB Wayne Matthews III (Old Dominion), DL Jalen Satchell (Old Dominion), LS Kaden Schickel (James Madison)
»FCS (3): DB Aveon Grose (Southern Illinois), OL Luke Newman (Holy Cross), QB Tommy Schuster (North Dakota)
»Big 12 (2): LB Tyler Gillison (Cincinnati), DB Nikai Martinez (UCF)
»SEC (1): DB Jeremiah Hughes-LSU
»Independent (1): RB Kay'ron Lynch-Adams (Massachusetts)
»Conference USA (1): DL Quindarius Dunnigan (Middle Tennessee State)
»MAC (1): P Carson Voss (Western Michigan)
»Division II (1): LS Jack Carson Wentz (West Georgia)
»Division III (1): RB Shawn Foster (Hope College)
»Community College (1): TE Reeves Taylor (Ventura College)
â–ºQUICK LOOK AT THE 2024 SCHEDULE
• MSU's season opener will be on Friday, Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. This marks the 10th time in the past 14 years that Michigan State will open with a Friday night game in East Lansing; it's also the 12th time since 2011 that MSU will begin the season on a Friday night.
• In Week 2, the Spartans start conference play at Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m. in SECU Stadium on the Big Ten Network.
• MSU returns to nonconference action the next two weekends against Prairie View A&M in East Lansing (Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network) and on the road at Boston College (Sept. 21).
• The final eight games of the season are conference games. The Spartans host Ohio State on Sept. 28 before hitting the road at Oregon on Friday, Oct. 4 (9 p.m. ET on FOX).
• Following a bye week, Michigan State hosts Iowa on Oct. 19 for Homecoming and travels to Michigan on Oct. 26 to close out the month of October.
• In November, MSU will host Indiana for the Old Brass Spittoon on Nov. 2 before its second bye week of the year. The Spartans then travel to Illinois (Nov. 16) and host Purdue (Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. on FOX) and Rutgers (Nov. 30) to close out the regular season.
â–º2024 SPARTAN COACHING STAFF
• Jonathan Smith, who led Oregon State to new heights during his tenure over the past six seasons (2018-23), was named Michigan State University's 26th head football coach on Nov. 25, 2023.
• Named the 2022 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year, Smith built Oregon State into one of the top teams in the conference. He led the Beavers, who were ranked as high as 11th in the College Football Playoff rankings in 2023, to an 8-4 record in the regular season and their third straight bowl appearance, a first for the program since 2006-09. OSU went 25-13 in 2021-23 under Smith, including a No. 17 ranking in 2022 and a win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl. He also has experience coaching in the College Football Playoff as an offensive coordinator at Washington in 2016.
• Known for developing talent, the 45-year-old Smith coached eight All-Americans during his OSU tenure, including five his last two seasons (OL Taliese Fuaga, OL Tanner Miller and DB Kitan Oladapo in 2023; WR/PR Anthony Gould, LB Jack Colletto and Fuaga in 2022). In addition, Colletto was named the 2022 Paul Hornung Award winner for the nation's most versatile player, marking Oregon State's fourth major award winner in school history. Smith also coached two Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Players of the Year in Jermar Jefferson (2018) and Damien Martinez (2022) and four Freshman All-Americans overall. OSU tallied 74 All-Pac-12 selections during Smith's six seasons in Corvallis.
• Six of Smith's assistants at Oregon State joined him in East Lansing: secondary coach Blue Adams, assistant head coach/running backs coach/co-special teams coordinator Keith Bhonapha, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jim Michalczik, defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa and tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Brian Wozniak. Smith also hired Joe Rossi as the program's defensive coordinator/linebackers coach, Chad Wilt as the co-special teams coordinator/rush ends coach and Demetrice Martin as the cornerbacks coach, while wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins enters his fifth season as an assistant at MSU.
• Blue Adams, who brings nearly 15 years of coaching experience with him to East Lansing, including stints at both the collegiate and NFL levels, is the program's secondary coach. Adams spent five seasons (2019-23) on Smith's staff as the secondary coach at Oregon State. Adams also coached four seasons as an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins (2012-15) before returning to the college ranks at West Virginia (2016) and South Florida (2017-18).
• Keith Bhonapha (BONE-uh-fuh) has 20 years of collegiate experience, most recently with Smith at Oregon State in 2023. An assistant head coach, Bhonapha is the running backs coach and will also serve as the program's co-special teams coordinator and hold play-calling responsibilities for that unit.
• Courtney Hawkins returns for his fifth season as Michigan State's wide receivers coach. A nine-year NFL veteran, Hawkins has helped develop NFL Draft picks Jayden Reed (Packers) and Jalen Nailor (Vikings) during his time in East Lansing.
• Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren spent the past six seasons (2018-23) in the same role at Oregon State. A two-time nominee for the Broyles Award, Lindgren helped build the Beavers into one of the most consistent offensive teams in the Pac-12. He coached eight NFL Draft picks and multiple All-Americans and first-team All-Pac-12 honorees during his Oregon State tenure.
• Former Spartan Demetrice Martin was named cornerbacks coach on Jan. 17 to complete Smith's on-field coaching staff. A four-year letterwinner at MSU from 1992-95, Martin has been a collegiate coach for more than 20 years, most recently as the cornerbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Oregon the past two seasons. He has also coached at USC (2006-07), Washington (2009-11), UCLA (2012-17), Arizona (2018-19) and Colorado (2020-21). Martin has worked with 18 All-Pac-12 defensive backs and has been on coaching staffs for 12 bowl games.
• Jim Michalczik (muh-hall-CHECK), who has more than 30 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and NFL levels, joined the Michigan State staff in December 2023 as the Spartans' offensive line coach/run game coordinator. Most recently, Michalczik was with Smith at Oregon State the past six seasons (2018-23). Michalczik was a nominee for the 2023 Broyles Award, which honors college football's top assistant coaches. His offensive lines at Oregon State were named semifinalists twice for the Joe Moore Award (2021, 2023).
• Secchia Family defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi spent the past six seasons (2018-23) at Minnesota, where he helped build the Gophers into one of the best defenses in the Big Ten as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Minnesota's defense ranked among the top 10 in the FBS in total defense three times (No. 3 in 2021, No. 8 in 2022, No. 10 in 2019) and scoring defense twice (No. 4 in 2022, No. 6 in 2021) under Rossi's direction. The two-time Broyles Award nominee coached 30 All-Big Ten honorees, two first-team All-Americans and 11 NFL Draft picks during his time in Minneapolis.
• A collegiate coaching veteran of more than 20 years, Lawrence "Legi" Suiaunoa (Leng-ee SOO-ee-ow-noah) joined the Michigan State staff as the Spartans' defensive line coach in December 2023. Suiaunoa spent the past six seasons (2018-23) on Smith's staff at Oregon State, and he also coached with Smith at Montana in 2011.
• Chad Wilt is in his first season as Michigan State's co-special teams coordinator/rush ends coach. Wilt, who has more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently spent the past two seasons (2022-23) as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Indiana. He also spent two years (2020-21) as the defensive line coach at Minnesota under current Spartan defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.
• Brian Wozniak (Wahz-nee-ack), who was on Jonathan Smith's staff the past six seasons at Oregon State, joined the MSU staff as the Spartans' tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in December 2023. After helping Oregon State to an 8-4 record in 2023 to become bowl eligible, Wozniak has now guided three teams to a bowl game as a coach and four as a player while at Wisconsin.
â–ºSPARTANS EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Several Michigan State Spartans have earned preseason honors entering the 2024 season.
• OL Brandon Baldwin (Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• RB Nathan Carter (Wuerffel Trophy Watch List; AFCA Good Works Team nominee; Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• P Ryan Eckley (Phil Steele, USA TODAY and Athlon Sports first-team All-Big Ten)
• DB Angelo Grose (Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• LB Cal Haladay (Athlon Sports third-team All-Big Ten)
• K Jonathan Kim (Phil Steele and Athlon Sports second-team All-Big Ten)
• LB Wayne Matthews III (Phil Steele third-team All-Big Ten)
• OL Luke Newman (Shrine Bowl Watch List)
• TE Jack Velling (Athlon Sports third-team All-Big Ten)
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