Jonathan Smith Gives Update On MSU Football Spring Game

Michigan State's fanbase will get its first look at the 2024 Spartan football team on April 20, when MSU hosts a "Spring Showcase" event at Spartan Stadium.

For years, Michigan State conducted a 'Green and White' spring game, but that tradition was sidelined by previous head coach Mel Tucker. On Tuesday, new head coach Jonathan Smith said the format of his first "spring game" hadn't yet been determined, but he did not rule out a live scrimmage for the fans to see.

"We definitely want to get some work done," Smith said. "We don't have the exact plan. Some of it does depend on the health. We talked about that, per position. But, we're going to look to have some fun, make it competitive and put on a good show."

Live scrimmages are one of the most important aspects of spring football. They allow coaches get to evaluate their teams and position groups in the closest setting they'll get to a Saturday game day. Smith said his staff hasn't conducted their first scrimmage of spring ball yet, but the Spartans are closing in on that first evalution opportunity soon.

"We've done some live tackling. We haven't flat-out scrimmaged," Smith said. "We're hopeful in the next couple of practices to get something done there."

Keeping the roster healthy is of prime importance for Smith and his staff, but doing some live tackling in spring practice is essential in order for Michigan State to not fall behind in that area defensively.

"We try to approach it with making sure we have great practice habits, where we're getting in a posture to make a tackle but not going to the ground," Smith said. "Guys have been doing a great job of that. You want to stay up [off the ground], you want to stay healthy. At the same time, we're going to practice this game and that's live tackling some. There's a fine balance. We want to get a little bit more live done the rest of the spring."

So far this spring, Smith said the Spartans have been able to stay relatively healthy as a group, though he did note sophomore tight end Brennan Parachek is currently not practicing.

"Solid," Smith said of the teams' overall health. "We haven't had any injury that's, all of a sudden, a guy's done for the season. We definitely have bumps and bruises. We're trying to be smart with that, this is spring ball. But we feel solid where the teams at."

Overall, Smith is pleased with the progress Michigan State is making this spring. While most programs have already conducted their first scrimmages, the Spartans' staff has been installing a whole new scheme on both sides of the ball with offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.

"I thought it was solid," Smith said of Tuesday's practice, the seventh out of 15 total for the Spartans. "Today was the first day kind of emphasizing the red zone and plays were made on both sides. There's a bunch to learn from too, but the guys have been going. I appreciate their effort, really throughout, and today was another solid day.

"We've got to put them in that live scrimmage situation where they have some consequence for bad plays, that type of thing. We still have to emphasize a couple scenarios in the game — two-minute, down by the goal line [and] short-yardage we haven't gotten to yet. And then you want to see progression. The install still has more to come and [we want to see] how they absorb that and continue to execute."

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