Following another long winter without a bowl game, the Michigan State football team will officially open spring practice on Tuesday, March 18.

There are several key storylines to watch as head coach Jonathan Smith enters his second season at Michigan State.

Here are Spartans Illustrated’s five things to watch this spring for the Spartan football program:

Quarterback Aidan Chiles arrived in East Lansing to much fanfare in 2024. The former four-star recruit had fans chanting his name at Breslin Center during basketball games. The expectations were high and Chiles didn’t quite live up to them as a sophomore in year one, his first season as a full-time college stater.

He improved as the season went on, but a 59% completion percentage and a 13-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio certainly need to be better in 2025. Chiles also had issues with fumbles. Other times, he would make dazzling plays with both his arm and his legs. Chiles finished the 2024 campaign with 2,415 passing yards, and added 225 rushing yards and three additional scores.

Spring ball will be everyone’s first look at if Chiles progressed during the winter both with his body and with his on-field play. Consistency is what Chiles should be striving for in 2025, and he is focused on being a leader for the Spartans as well.

With the departures of Nate Carter and Kay’ron Lynch-Adams for the NFL Draft, Michigan State’s running back room is wide open heading into spring ball. The addition of Sacramento State transfer Elijah Tau-Tolliver was critical to combat the young, inexperienced group. It would be surprising if Tau-Tolliver isn't heavily involved in the rotation, but he will also be jumping up in competition from the FCS level to the FBS level in 2025, and that will take some adjusting.

The young guys that will most likely challenge Tau-Tolliver are sophomores Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis. Both guys only had seven carries each last season. Somebody else to keep an eye on who could compete for early playing time is high-three-star true freshman Jace Clarizio. The East Lansing native originally committed to Michigan State before flipping to Alabama and re-flipping to the Spartans. MSU also added three-star true freshman running back Zion Gist this winter. Both Clarizio and Gist enrolled with Michigan State in January and will compete in spring ball.

MSU assistant head coach/co-special teams coordinator/running backs coach Keith Bhonapha showed in 2024 with Carter and Lynch-Adams that he will split carries between multiple backs. The spring will be the first glimpse into seeing who emerges from the group of tailbacks.

Michigan State’s pass rush was one of the worst in the Big Ten last season. The Spartans totaled 19 sacks in 12 games played (1.58 sacks per game – 103rd in the country). They went on a streak in the middle of the season when they didn’t record a single sack in six-straight games.

There is only one returning player from last year’s team that recorded multiple sacks – rush end Anthony Jones (two sacks in 2024). The top two pass rushers from last season (Khris Bogle and Jordan Turner) are both gone, so Michigan State is in desperate need of somebody to step up. The Spartans also return Jalen Thompson and Quindarius Dunnigan at defensive end, and those two will need to take a big step forward, among others.

MSU added Air Force transfer David Santiago and Wisconsin transfer Anelu Lafaele in the winter portal window, and both players are expected to play rush end. Look for the Spartans to target another rush end in the spring window in April. Michigan State also added Florida State defensive tackle transfer Grady Kelly this winter.

Michigan State added 16 players in the winter from the transfer portal. A majority of the nine players added on offense will likely be contributors in 2025. A new-look group of wide receivers includes Omari Kelly, Chrishon McCray, Evan Boyd and Rodney Bullard to complement Nick Marsh. As mentioned, Tau-Tolliver joins the running backs room.

Montana State transfer offensive tackle Conner Moore, an FCS All-American, headlines the four offensive line additions this winter, which also includes Caleb Carter, Matt Gulbin and Luka Vincic on the interior. The progression of the new-look offensive line is a big storyline to watch after struggles and injuries played a major factor in MSU's 2024 season.

On the other side of the ball, the Spartans added seven players on defense, including the aforementioned Kelly, Lafaele and Santiago. MSU also gained linebacker Aisea Moa, and experienced cornerbacks NiJhay Burt, Malcolm Bell and Joshua Eaton. It's difficult to predict where these transfers will fit in the depth chart, but many are projected to compete for starting spots right away, and spring ball provides a good starting point for all the new faces.

In addition to the transfers, Michigan State saw 11 true freshmen enroll at the school in January: Clarizio, Gist, three-star offensive tackle Justin Bell, three-star wide receiver Braylon Collier, three-star quarterback Leo Hannan, three-star linebacker DiMari Malone, three-star cornerback George Mullins, three-star defensive tackle Derrick Simmons, three-star wide receiver Charles Taplin, three-star defensive end Cal Thrush and three-star cornerback Aydan West.

This will be the first chance for the freshmen to put on pads and compete at the college level.

Spring games have been a hot topic across the country this offseason. Some teams are canceling their spring games, including Nebraska, USC, Texas and others, citing concerns over players getting poached by other schools and wear and tear on the their bodies.

Smith has not announced if there will be a spring game or not. Last season, Michigan State did have a “Spring Showcase," which featured position group drills and four 10-minute quarters of scrimmaging. Something similar in 2025 would not be surprising, but those details aren't available yet.

While nothing is official yet, the projected date for a spring game or showcase or open practice, depending on format, if there is one open to the public, is April 19.

With Michigan State kicking things off for spring ball on Tuesday, and Smith expected to speak to the media, we should learn more about any potential spring game and the format very soon.

Other storylines to watch include:

- The impact of new assistants Jon Boyer (quarterbackss coach) and James Adams (safeties coach)

- The development of the offensive line, as briefly mentioned

- The backup quarterback battle

- The overall team health after a 2024 season full of injuries

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