An Interesting Dichotomy Surrounding Michigan State Football

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. 

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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