Spring Practice Preview

►SPARTAN FOOTBALL NEWS AND NOTES
• Michigan State second-year head coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans started spring practice on Tuesday, March 18. MSU's 15 spring practices will conclude on Saturday, April 19.

►RETURNING LETTERWINNERS
• The Spartans are returning 36 letterwinners from last season's team, including 23 on defense, 10 on offense and three on special teams.

• In addition, MSU has 20 position players returning with starting experience wearing the Green and White, including 10 on offense and 10 on defense.

►RETURNING OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION
• Junior quarterback Aidan Chiles started all 12 games for the Spartans as a true sophomore in 2024. He finished ninth in the Big Ten in total offense (220.0 ypg; 2,640 yards) and became the sixth Spartan sophomore QB in program history to throw for 2,000-plus yards in a season.

• Sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh was one of the top freshmen in the nation last season and set Michigan State true freshman records for most receiving yards (649) and receptions (41) in a single-season. He ranked eighth in the Big Ten in yards per catch (15.8) and 13th in receiving yards per game (59.0 ypg), marks which also ranked second among Big Ten freshmen.

• Senior tight end Jack Velling, who was named to the Mackey Award Watch List last season, caught a career-high 36 passes for 411 yards and one TD in his first season as a Spartan after transferring from Oregon State.

►SPARTANS WELCOME 27 NEW PLAYERS FOR SPRING PRACTICE
• Michigan State welcomed 16 transfers to the team in January, and 11 freshmen who signed in December also enrolled for the spring semester to compete in spring practice. | 2025 Midyear Enrollees

►SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE
No. 1 – Tuesday, March 18
No. 2 – Thursday, March 20
No. 3 – Saturday, March 22
No. 4 – Tuesday, March 25
No. 5 – Thursday, March 27
No. 6 – Saturday, March 29
No. 7 – Tuesday, April 1
No. 8 – Thursday, April 3
No. 9 – Saturday, April 5
No. 10 – Tuesday, April 8
No. 11 – Thursday, April 10
No. 12 – Saturday, Apri 12
No. 13 – Tuesday, April 15
No. 14 – Thursday, April 17
No. 15 – Saturday, April 19

►QUOTING COACH SMITH
Following the first spring practice on Tuesday, second-year head coach Jonathan Smith met with the media to give a preview on spring practice for the Spartans.

"Through the preparation of practices and thoughts going into it, I wanted to take advantage of all 15 practices," said Smith. "We're going to finish spring ball without a spring game, and there were some considerations with that. Some of it, you only get 15 of these; some of the logic is when you do those (spring games), you prepare for those the back half of the spring. We think the best for this current unit is to take advantage of all 15 practices and not prepping like you're going into a game. There's some logistics going on at the stadium, which we're excited about, the scoreboards, some things to the press box (tower), so that can create some challenges. And you're always working with numbers, with availability, and what's best for the team. We're definitely going to do a couple of scrimmages amongst ourselves throughout the 15 practices, we're spreading those out a little bit, and we're excited to get started."

►QUICK GLANCE AT THE 2025 SCHEDULE
• Michigan State opens the 2025 season with three straight nonconference games in Spartan Stadium, beginning with Western Michigan on Saturday, Aug. 30. MSU will also host Boston College on Sept. 6 and Youngstown State on Sept. 13.

• The Spartans will begin conference play with two road games, starting Sept. 20 at USC, followed by Oct. 4 at Nebraska after a bye week.

• MSU returns to East Lansing to face UCLA for Homecoming on Oct. 11 in the first match-up between the two schools since 1974.

• Michigan State then travels to Indiana on Oct. 18 before hosting Michigan on Oct. 25.

• In November, the Spartans head to Minnesota on Nov. 1, then take a week off on Nov. 8 for their second bye week. MSU's final three games include a home game against Penn State on Nov. 15, a trip to Iowa on Nov. 22, and the regular-season finale vs. Maryland on Nov. 29 at Ford Field in Detroit.

►HEAD COACH JONATHAN SMITH AND THE 2025 COACHING STAFF
• Jonathan Smith, who led Oregon State to new heights during his tenure over six seasons (2018-23), was named Michigan State University's 26th head football coach on Nov. 25, 2023. Smith enters his second season leading the Spartans in 2025 after laying a strong foundation for the program during his first year in 2024.

• 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 46-year-old Smith has coached 10 All-Americans, 20 NFL Draft picks and more than 100 all-conference selections in his career, while also coaching in 10 bowl games, including the 2016 College Football Playoff as an offensive coordinator at Washington.

• Smith became the fifth MSU head coach to start 3-0 overall in his first season as the Spartans' head coach, and the first since Hall of Fame Coach Mark Dantonio in 2007. The Spartans topped Florida Atlantic, 16-10, in Smith's Spartan debut on Aug. 30, 2024, and also opened the season with wins at Maryland and over Prairie View A&M. In addition, MSU had victories over Iowa and Purdue in closing the year narrowly missing a bowl bid with a 5-7 record. In the classroom, Michigan State set a program record with its highest-ever semester GPA and cumulative GPA, and had 32 Academic All-Big Ten honorees and seven Academic All-District selections.

• Smith coached eight All-Americans during his OSU tenure (2018-23), including five his last two seasons (OL Taliese Fuaga, OL Tanner Miller and DB Kitan Oladapo in 2023; WR/PR Anthony Gould and LB Jack Colletto 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.

• Eleven Beavers were drafted under Smith's tutelage, and an additional 20 signed as undrafted free agents. Offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga became the highest-drafted OSU player in 10 years as he was picked in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.

• Off the field, Smith led a culture of success in the classroom with a total of 168 Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll selections in his six seasons.

• Six of Smith's assistants at Oregon State joined him in East Lansing in 2024: 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.

• Jon Boyer, who was a quality control coach at Oregon State under Smith from 2019-23, was named quarterbacks coach in January 2025.

• Joe Rossi, a 2024 Broyles Award nominee, begins his second year as the program's defensive coordinator/linebackers coach.

• Co-special teams coordinator/rush ends Chad Wilt also enters his second year on staff in 2025.

• Former Spartan great Courtney Hawkins is in his sixth season as the wide receivers coach at MSU.

• In addition, James Adams was named the program's safeties coach in January 2025.

Players Mentioned

Aidan Chiles

Nick Marsh

Tanner Miller

Jack Velling

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