MSU's Keith Bhonapha Talks Approach To Coaching RBs

Outside of the 2021 season, when the Spartans had Kenneth Walker III roaming the backfield, Michigan State had a terrible time running the football during the Mel Tucker era.

Fixing the run game is one of the top priorities for Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith. The Spartans' new head coach brought his running backs coach from Oregon State, Keith Bhonapha, with him to East Lansing to help with the task.

Earlier this spring, Bhonapha explained the approach he takes with the entirety of a running backs room under his direction.

"I always talk to the running backs about trying to help these guys reach their potential individually," Bhonapha told reporters on Tuesday, March 27. "It's never just, okay, this guy needs to be the best guy in the room. I think everybody has different attributes and different skillsets. My job as a coach [is] to help these guys get better individually.

"With a freshman, you might have a lot more work to do than you would with, say, a Jaren Mangham or a Nate Carter. Really just trying to see where you can help these guys build from a fundamental aspect so then they can go out there and play efficiently in the scheme."

All three of Michigan State's top running backs — Carter, Mangham and Jalen Berger — began their careers at different schools, each with a different running backs coach. Bhonapha is at least the third RB coach that each of these three will have had in their college careers, which can be difficult on players at times.

"I think the drills are always going to be different," Bhonapha said. "I try to do a good job of taking it slow and give these guys examples on film of some of the individual drills, because I'm really fundamentally-based when it comes to my coaching.

"Anytime you can a transition, there's going to be a joust where guys are trying to stand their ground, you're trying to stand yours. But, I think at the end of the day, where you kind of meet common ground is you know you're trying to help them get better, and they know you want them to get better, and just trying to figure out, okay, what are the different things that make each other tick. What's the things that I don't like, that are pet peeves? What's the things that I do like and, from my standpoint, how do these guys learn? What makes these guys receptive to coaching?"

Michigan State will conclude spring practice with the "Spring Showcase" event on April 20, which Smith has said will be a mixture of team drills, position group drills and scrimmage sessions.

The Michigan State Spartan Football Spring Green and White Game (Spring Showcase) will be held at the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation, Spartan Stadium, on April 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.

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