Michigan State's Jonathan Smith Talks Position Battles

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Michigan State football fall camp practice began on Tuesday, and as with any training camp, there comes the big questions of who will start.

The Spartans have a number of key returners, including their starting quarterback, Aidan Chiles, who enters Year 2 as a full-time starter. They have a good blend of familiarity and

Where position battles stand now is different from where it was a year ago, which is expected when considering the turnover the program endured last offseason.

"A year ago, probably more position battles to start, type thing," Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said on Tuesday. "This year, we've got more battles for how much you're going to play. We might have the guys (who will) run out there first, but we want to be in a place where we're rotating.

"And I think about the defensive side. I think we can play a lot of guys. We might know, 'OK, Jordan Hall's going to start' type thing, well, we're going to play a bunch of guys at that position. In the secondary, with what we've brought here January/the summer, that's going to work itself out. That's probably a position group that is truly competing to start."

Michigan State didn't have many significant losses to the transfer portal, but enough where it needed to go and add depth. It did, however, lose some key pieces who went on to pursue NFL careers, including wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr., running backs Nate Carter and Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams, linebacker Jordan Turner and kicker Jonathan Kim.

Fortunately for the Spartans, they didn't experience the same drastic number of departures as they did the previous offseason, with names like Sam Leavitt and Derrick Harmon having left and gone on to thrive with their new programs.

Retainment is a major benefit Michigan State has now, and it is a huge reason it should improve this season.

"There's an advantage to the more you retain, to start," Smith said. "Which we're really happy with. I mean, we got 70-somewhat guys that are still on the roster. We did do a heavy amount of work in January. And then, you just got more time with them, right? You go through spring ball and all of that."

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