Michigan State wrapped up spring ball for the first time in the Jonathan Smith era and there were positive signs.

One of those positive signs was quarterback Aidan Chiles who flashed his athletic ability throughout the game.

“(Quarterback) Aidan (Chiles) threw it accurately, moved his feet well,” Smith said after the Spring Showcase. “I think it helped getting a little bit of a run game going. Aidan had a nice carry. Again, I think on both sides of it we wanted to base package but not show too much. This is all over tv and whatnot. He looked comfortable and guys made some plays for him in the passing game which was great to see.”

Another newcomer that impressed was true freshman early enrollee Nick Marsh. The 6-foot-3 Marsh had over 100 receiving yards in the scrimmage including a 75-yard touchdown reception.

Montorie Foster Jr. was another standout at the wide receiver position. The veteran had multiple catches of 20+ yards during the 11-on-11 portion of the Spring Showcase.

“Both of those guys had a solid spring throughout,” said Smith. “I think Nick really came on the last half, I'll say, of practices making some plays. You can tell he's getting more and more comfortable in the scheme and he’s gifted physically.

“Montorie, I feel awesome about his ability to be able to move him around a couple of positions receiver wise. That gives us some answers if multiple guys can play multiple spots. We think Montorie is one of those guys.”

As for the running back position, Nate Carter was the star of the show. He had a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown out of the backfield during the first half of the scrimmage.

“We think Nate is explosive and he fits well in the scheme,” Smith said about Carter. “He has had a good camp, a lot of carries learning the scheme. He's effective in the pass game too, out of the backfield, so that was nice to see.”

None of this success offensively happens without the offensive line, which had a solid day in their own right.

“I will say I thought it was probably their best day out of the 15 (practices), just looking at the offensive line and what we were able to do there,” Smith explained. “Protection was solid… It was a solid, solid day that way and we still got a ways to go on that front, but I like the progress they're making.”

The defense showed flashes of potential as well, especially defensive end Quindarius Dunnigan. The Middle Tennessee transfer was in the backfield on a few plays during the 11-on-11 portion.

“He showed up this spring,” said Smith about Dunnigan. “(He) battled through a little bit of injury early on, so his rep count wasn’t huge early on. But, when he’s in there, he’s made some difference. He’s slippery. He’s physical, but he’s slippery and plays with leverage all the time. And that was a couple of huge plays today.”

For the defense as a whole, Smith liked what he saw effort wise.

“I thought they played really hard,” he said. “Again, a limited amount of what calls we had out there. (They) made it physical. We had some tackles in the backfield.

“Over 15 practices, I’m pleased with how this defense has come along. They run to the ball, make it physical. They’ve had plenty of live tackling that they were holding their own against the offense.”

Looking back at the spring, Smith thinks that his team has progressed in all three phases of the game – offense, defense, and special teams.

“I think we got some things established, all three phases, even just how we practice, how we communicate,” Smith said. “I think our growth defensively in communication from practice one to 15 is like night and day because that’s a huge part of it and that was an emphasis. Coach Rossi has been hammering those guys. They’ve gotten better on that communication side. I thought our tackling for the most part, when we tackled throughout the spring, was solid. You’re always thinking about that. We got some athletes out there that can make some plays.”

The next step for Michigan State is for the position coaches, and eventually Smith, to meet one-on-one with all the players before preseason camp gets underway this summer.

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