Report: Breakdown of MSU Football's Offseason

"The wide receiver room took some hits with Aziah Johnson (North Carolina) and Jaron Glover (Mississippi State) moving on, although Michigan State addressed the spot with transfer additions. Although Michigan State addressed most of its needs through the portal, it didn't make the splashiest additions, leaning on the Group of 5 and FCS ranks."

ESPN then looked at the positives of Michigan State's offseason:

"The Spartans avoided major roster turnover despite the team's third consecutive losing season. They brought back their quarterback in Chiles, their top young playmaker in wide receiver Nick Marsh and key defenders such as safety Nikai Martinez and linebacker Darius Snow.

"The Spartans also added several potential impact transfers, such as Moore, an FCS All-America selection at Montana State, Tau-Tolliver from Sacramento State and Burt from Eastern Illinois. Wide receivers Kelly (Middle Tennessee) and Chrishon McCray (Kent State) should complement Marsh, and several of Michigan State's offensive and defensive line transfers arrive with experience."

With all things considered, the good might outweigh the bad.

ESPN's Bill Connelly seems to suggest that, all in all, the Spartans have had a positive offseason by playing it safe.

"Smith plumbed smaller schools for stars, and the Spartans should be infinitely more experienced in 2025," Connelly wrote. "You would love a few more proven pieces, but sometimes you nail the offseason by simply not screwing up the offseason."

Ultimately, rankings in May don't mean much, and we won't know if there's obvious improvement in Michigan State's roster until the season rolls around. But Smith and his staff have addressed the areas of the field that needed to be, and when you're coming off a 5-7 season in the first year of a new regime, that may be all you can ask for.

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