Michigan State LB Jordan Hall Defends Jonathan Smith
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Given where Michigan State football had been prior to Jonathan Smith's arrival, a lot of pressure has been placed on the Spartans' head coach to turn this program around and get it back to a level of prominence.
It would be easy to say he failed in Year 1, as Michigan State came up short of making a bowl game, but given the turnover and strength of schedule, some grace has to be given as well.
One of Smith's key veterans, linebacker Jordan Hall, a player who experienced the last regime and now the first stages of this new one, has his back, as any good leader would.
"Maybe outside (looking) in, it might be looked at as pressure," Hall said at Big Ten Football Media Days on Thursday. "But I mean, we don't see it as pressure. It's not -- I doubt they're out there talking about, 'coach Smith, you're on the hot seat this year.'
"It was his first year last year with 61 new guys. I mean, there was only one team last year that was able to do that and have a successful season. But it's a difficult job to do in the landscape of college football to take a brand new team with 60 new players and be successful.
"So, I think looking into Year 2, I mean, we don't feel any pressure. We know where we want to go; there might be some internal pressure to achieve the things that we want to achieve but not from any -- no outside pressure, I think, is influence on our team at all."
Hall made some solid points. Not only was there significant turnover, but the Spartans were coming off a four-win season, so dramatic improvement was going to be unlikely, especially with the schedule it had -- Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois. Not to mention, the then-reigning national champion Michigan, which took a step backward but finished strong with wins over Ohio State, the eventual national champion, and Alabama.
But the bar is being raised now, and as Smith's tenure progresses, the room for excuses will begin to narrow. But we should see a better Michigan State team this season.
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