With the first month of the season officially in the books, it’s time to take a look at some hot — or controversial, however you want to look at them — takes from Michigan State football’s first four games.
The Spartans sit at 3-1 after a loss to then-No. 25 USC on the road, and they went into the bye week with plenty to work on. We’ll see just how different they look after the bye, but it feels like Jonathan Smith has pinpointed the issues through the first four games, and he’s ready to correct them.
Nebraska is on the clock, but first, it’s time for some controversial takes from the first month.
1. Aidan Chiles is a first-round talent
If I had made this statement before the season, it would have been met with a ton of criticism and I probably would have been ostracized from the fanbase. However, four games into the year, I think it’s clear that Aidan Chiles is one of the most impressive players on the team and a potential top-three quarterback in the Big Ten when he’s on.
The only negative aspect of his play from the first four games is that he hasn’t taken enough deep shots. He has taken a few, and they’re usually on the money, but he needs to air it out more.
Chiles was considered a Day 1 talent by one expert before the season, and he was laughed at. Now, it feels like people are warming up to that opinion. It’s still controversial because of the small sample size, but I’ve seen what I needed to see.
2. This is Michigan State’s worst defense in decades
Let me preface this by saying that I believe the defense does have talent in some key spots like Jordan Hall at linebacker, Jalen Thompson and Alex VanSumeren up front, and Malcolm Bell, Malik Spencer, Nikai Martinez, and Aydan West in the secondary. But for whatever reason, there’s a lack of effectiveness within the group.
And that’s concerning.
Is it a personnel issue? Should Joe Rossi make some changes? Is Rossi the problem? There are so many questions, but it all starts in the trenches, and the defensive line is struggling which is leading to deficiencies everywhere else. Something needs to change — and fast.
3. Jonathan Smith is lacking a sense of urgency
I’ll be the first to defend Jonathan Smith most of the time, and I’ve said repeatedly that I think he could turn this program around. Some fans have given up on the idea of him being ‘the guy’, but I truly believe that he has what it takes to turn Michigan State around — heck, the 2026 recruiting class is ranked near the top 25.
But where he is lacking in the coaching realm is his sense of urgency. He always has the same demeanor, good or bad, and it comes off almost like he doesn’t care sometimes.
Obvious he does.
Fans want to see a little more passion and a little more sense of urgency with his team showing clear signs of defensive decline. We just want to see some fire. He has to realize that a new AD could put him on the hot seat if he doesn’t deliver a bowl berth this year.