Michigan State needed to change a lot about its offense from last year. The Spartans scored fewer than 20 points per game in 2024, ranking 123rd in the FBS and 15th in the Big Ten.
As a result, head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff have brought in several players through the transfer portal in an effort to improve MSU’s offense, which returns just 37.4% of its combined rushing and receiving yards from last year.
One of the good parts is that the Spartans return its most productive player from three of the four offensive skill positions: quarterback Aidan Chiles, wide receiver Nick Marsh and tight end Jack Velling. Those three players represent almost seven-eighths of that returning production
That might be part of the reason Chiles is willing to say that he doesn’t think there is much of a ceiling for this team.
For the Spartans to reach a higher ceiling, it will require a bit effort from MSU's transfer portal pickups from this winter, who are now eight spring practices into their Michigan State careers.
“It's nice to get back into it,” Smith said Thursday about how the spring is going. “I love being in the meetings, watching our coaches coach, players interact. I like seeing a play go in a meeting in the morning and then it gets executed on the field. I kind of like the way we're practicing in regards to like — we're competing with each other and not against each other, and for eight days these guys have been working together to do that, trying to, you know, ‘iron sharpens iron.’”
Smith went into more detail about several positional groups on the offensive side of the ball.
Wide receivers
A big part of Michigan State's attempt at an offensive revival will be its new wide receivers. The Spartans added four such players from other schools this winter, and a few have been performing well in practice and raising hopes that some attention in the passing game can be taken away from Marsh.
“(Middle Tennessee State transfer) Omari Kelly's had a good eight days,” Smith said. “He made another couple of nice plays (Thursday). He could be on the opposite side, and where Nick (Marsh's) gonna see some double teams, you need to have another threat on the other side of it.
“(Valdosta State transfer) Rodney Bullard (has a) little bit of a ding, hasn't been full all eight days, but he's done some good stuff.
“(Central Michigan transfer) Evan Boyd has come over here and, and really he was running with the twos today. He's made consistent plays, knows where he's going. Those are a couple of highlights.”
Another new piece in the wide receiver room — and perhaps the most heralded transfer portal addition — is Kent State convert Chrishon McCray, who had 705 receiving yards and nine touchdowns last season. McCray is expected to play in the slot for the Spartans, and has been primarily practicing there during the spring.
Part of the hope is that players like McCray that come from Group of Five, FCS or even Division II schools will be able to somewhat continue their level of production at the Power Four level. Kelly had 869 receiving yards and four touchdowns for MTSU last season (he also has Power Four experience, as he began his career at Auburn), and Bullard had 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns for the D-II runner-ups.
Trying to project if players like that can continue to succeed against better competition is not necessarily a new task for a college football staff.
“It's a piece as you evaluate who the competition is, the same way at the high school level,” Smith said about the transfers. “We did want to make a premium of ‘had it on tape;’ so snaps, starts at a previous place, and some stats. The majority of the guys that we're able to get do have experience in college football and playing it, and that's what we're counting on.”
Overall though, Smith does feel good about the many different things MSU’s new-look wide receiver room can do.
“In regards to size, speed, quickness, and then maybe a little bit of length, you want to be able to blend that (and) obviously ask them to also be physical or whatever their physical attributes are,” Smith said. “We've got some of that.”
Running backs
As for the ground game, Michigan State’s probable starting running back is Sacramento State transfer Elijah Tau-Tolliver, who ran for 950 yards and seven touchdowns, and earned an additional 317 yards and two touchdowns through the air last fall.
“(Tau-Tolliver has) had a couple of nice runs,” Smith said. “We were able to do a small portion of live tackling and he ripped off a long run. He's still learning it. You can tell when he knows exactly what he's doing. He can change gears and plays at a high level, we just got to get him to that point where he's really confident in the scheme.”
Former Sacramento State backs have had recent success at the Power Four level. For example, while he was with the Hornets, Tau-Tolliver was teammates for two years with Cam Skattebo, who went on to find a lot of success at Arizona State. Skattebo finished fifth in Heisman voting last season.
A big part of what made Tau-Tolliver an attractive option out of the portal are those 317 yards through the air he had last season. That was not something Michigan State did a lot of last season, as its running backs combined for just 270 receiving yards.
“We want to be able to throw it to the back,” Smith said. “Obviously, we want to throw it to everyone, but if the guy — yeah, he's a great ball carrier, he's got to block some people and pass protection, but you get that third element (where) he can catch it on the backfield on third down (on in the) red zone, it's huge."
Michigan State has also added two freshman running backs: Jace Clarizio — whom the Spartans narrowly beat Alabama out for on the recruiting trail — and Zion Gist. Both players enrolled at MSU in January and are going through spring ball.
“Jace has gotten some good carries,” Smith said about Clarizio. “Both of them (Clarizio and Gist), the majority (of the reps they) have gotten (is) a little bit with the threes. We want to mix them up, get them some carries in the first and second group. Both of them, when the ball’s in their hands, they can go.”
The Spartans also return Brandon Tullis and Makhi Frazier in the backfield. Both players enter their second year in East Lansing with an opportunity to earn a role in the offense.
Offensive line
Then there’s also the engine of every football team: the offensive line.
It is very possible that only one of Michigan State’s top five offensive linemen by snaps from last season will be a starter for the 2025 season. Three of those five have already left the program, and Ashton Lepo is dealing with an injury this spring, and battling for his spot at right tackle with Conner Moore, who transferred in from Montana State.
Moore is impressing Smith so far.
“Conner (Moore’s) done a nice job,” Smith said. “Been able to hold us on in a big way.”
The one starter from last year that will likely be back out there starting again for the 2025 campaign is Stanton Ramil, who protects Chiles’ blindside at left tackle. Smith has also said that Ramil is doing a “really nice job” so far this spring.
Returners Kristian Phillips or Gavin Broscious could both play guard, but both players did suffer season-ending injuries during the early parts of last year. Phillips is still dealing with a knee injury and has not been available this spring, while Broscious has been participating in spring ball.
In addition to Moore at tackle, MSU has also added three additional offensive linemen: Matt Gulbin from Wake Forest, Caleb Carter out of Western Carolina and Luka Vincic from Oregon State. All three of those players are expected to play on the interior portion of the line.
“Matt (Gulbin’s) done well,” Smith said. “Center, that's a little bit more of making all the calls and all that. We're pleased with where he's headed.
“Luka (Vincic has) a little bit of advantage, kind of had a good idea on the scheme,” Smith said of one of his old players from Corvallis, along with the fact that Vincic has actually been a big voice in the locker room.
“(That’s) maybe a little rare on just being a newcomer — new to the group that's pseudo-established with a lot of guys back,” Smith said. “Some of it's because the way (Vincic) comes across and he's not about himself, he's just trying to energize others, he's complimenting others, bringing them along, he's been great.”
Coaching staff
There has also been some change with the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball. Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren is still in that role for a second year, but Smith also hired Jon Boyer, one of his former Oregon State assistants, to be the team’s quarterbacks coach. Lindgren also served as quarterbacks coach for MSU last year, so the setup is now slightly different.
“He’s comfortable with that offensive staff, the scheme already and he already had some relationship with Aidan (Chiles),” Smith said about Boyer. “The stage was set.”
There has also been a recent rule change in college football where all staff members are now allowed to provide on-field instruction during games or practices. Previously, only 10 assistants plus the head coach were allowed.
That has allowed Smith to hire new people or promote existing staff members to more official coaching roles. MSU named Cordale Grundy as the team’s assistant tight ends coach, Jacob Lail as assistant offensive line coach and Aaron Pflugrad as offensive pass game coordinator, and made several similar moves on the defensive side of the ball as well.
“The handcuffs are off,” Smith said. “Every position now gets multiple eyes, multiple hands on the meetings sides, the contribution, it’s great. I think it's great for the profession in regards to developing more and more coaches. I think it's really healthy that there's no handcuffs on anybody out there.”
Michigan State has just seven spring practices remaining, with practices having been held on each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the team’s final period on April 19.
There will also be a short window where the transfer portal will open back up from April 16 through April 25. As for now, Smith isn’t altering the ways the practices function in regards to that critical period where some more roster-building will happen.
“It's not a huge consideration in my mind,” Smith said about the upcoming spring transfer portal window. “I think again, we're invested in these guys. We're not going to hold things until late (in the spring in case), by chance, we lose a guy or two. We understand the landscape.”
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