Why Michigan State Should be Optimistic for 2025

Year 1 for Jonathan Smith as the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans was challenging, to say the least. Are better days on the horizon for Year 2?

In the 2024 season, the Michigan State Spartans started off well. They won their first three games, beating Florida Atlantic, Maryland, and Prairie View A&M. Now, none of those schools jump off the page as powerhouse programs, but getting three wins, one of them a conference game, there was reason to be optimistic.

However, after the smooth start, things took a turn. Over the rest of the season, the Spartans would only win two more games. Their next game was a loss against Boston College, and then they started the gauntlet. They were thrown headfirst into the fire of a brutal Big Ten schedule.

Michigan State's next six games were against Ohio State, which went on to win the national championship, Oregon, which was ranked No. 1 for most of the 2024 season, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. As you can imagine, it did not go well for the Spartans. Blowout losses to Ohio State and Oregon, but a bounce-back win over Iowa was a positive sign.

The next three games were all losses, a win over Purdue, and a loss to Rutgers to end the year. They finished 5-7 in Smith's first year at the helm.

Many of Michigan State's struggles are growing pains that come with change. It faced a large roster turnover, and its schedule gave them no favors. So, are there better days on the horizon? Yes, there are.

One is that the Spartans have their quarterback. Aidan Chiles came over from Oregon State with Smith, and he started all 12 games for the Spartans last season. He threw for 2,415 yards and 13 touchdowns and is set to remain the starter for 2025. He gained valuable Big Ten experience, and the hope is that he will improve significantly in year 2.

"We know we don't want to feel that way again. It was just something to sit in and soak for a second. And then after that, you just learn," Chiles said this spring, referencing the 5-7 2024 season.

The biggest source of encouragement is his loyalty, something that is rare these days in college football. Chiles is committed to Coach Smith. Michigan State has done a good job building talent around Chiles. They have a great recruiting class, as well as multiple transfers that will make an immediate impact.

Chiles and Coach Smith are hungry to get better and lead this Spartan team.

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