An Interesting Dichotomy Surrounding Michigan State Football

While the Michigan State Spartans have young, promising talent, will it matter?

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith looks on from the sideline during the fourth quarter in the game against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans are facing an intriguing dilemma as the 2025 season draws to a close. 

MSU is 3-6 and has not won a Big Ten game, as Jonathan Smith’s progress as the Spartans’ head coach has gone in the wrong direction. Many have called for Smith to be fired, and he and his staff are squarely on the hot seat. 

Not only that, but attrition across the college football landscape has never been worse. No matter how good a program is, it will see players enter the transfer portal. 

Which puts the Spartans at an interesting crossroads: what if this coaching staff gets fired, and players begin to look for opportunities elsewhere? 

A program at a crossroads

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith leaves the field after the Spartans loss to Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It becomes much more difficult to evaluate the young talent on the roster at that point, and really, all the talent. 

MSU has some solid players who have been put in a difficult position by poor coaching and preparation. A freshman cornerback like Aydan West might be put in a better spot at a different program. 

While many expect West and several other key young players to be a part of the Spartans’ future, more talented players have left for better situations than MSU. 

Oct 25, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive back Aydan West (2) warms up prior at a game against the Michigan Wolverines at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

We have even seen it happen in East Lansing before. Quarterback Payton Thorne, who made 25 starts with the Spartans, entered the portal before the 2023 season. Wide receiver Keon Coleman, who led MSU in receiving yards in 2022, left for Florida State. 

The lesson? Don’t expect that any Spartan staying on the team is a guarantee, no matter how much they play or don’t play. 

Throw in a potential new coaching staff on top of offseason tumult, and no one knows what the future of this program looks like. How can we evaluate what Aidan Chiles or Alessio Milivojevic might do next year if we don’t know if they’ll be here?

Nothing has happened regarding the coaching staff, and don’t expect them to be fired within the next three weeks. It’s no guarantee that Smith will be fired at all. 

However, that not being out of the realm of possibility muddies the picture regarding this team’s future, on top of program departures that will likely occur, even if the staff is retained.

It used to be easy to know which players would rise as contributors in a program’s future, but now, it has become much more difficult.

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