Michigan State Linebacker Backs Jonathan Smith Despite Year 1 Losing Record

Linebacker Jordan Hall said at 2025 Big Ten Media Days that the team doesn't feel any pressure heading into 2025-26 and that he wasn't expecting some massive turnaround in Year 1 of Smith leading Michigan State.

"Maybe outside [looking] in, it might be looked at as pressure," Hall said on Thursday. "But I mean, we don't see it as pressure. It's not . . . '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."

Hall is entering his junior year as a Spartan after tallying 24 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two pass break-ups over 251 defensive snaps as a sophomore. As a freshman, he experienced the end of Mel Tucker's regime. Looking ahead to his third season, Hall has high hopes for a better year overall for Michigan State and a positively progressing program.

"Looking into Year 2 [under Smith], I mean, we don't feel any pressure," Hall said. "We know where we want to go. There might be some internal pressure to achieve the things that we want to achieve, but . . . no outside pressure . . . is [influencing our] team at all."