Jonathan Smith is already bringing back an old tradition to the Michigan State football program later this month with the Meet the Spartans event for fans, and he's bringing back some "good old days" vibes.
The Mark Dantonio days were some of the best in program history, and he had the Meet the Spartans event every year as well as one of the best assistant coaching staffs during his run elite run from 2012-15. His staff fell short in the later seasons of his tenure, but he still had some legends stick around like strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie.
After 25 years of service to the program, though, Mannie retired.
On Thursday, Smith brought Mannie back to Michigan State football practice to speak to the team. It had to be a bittersweet moment for the retired strength and conditioning coach.
Honored to have Coach Mannie share his knowledge, stories, and passion for Spartan Football with our team tonight! Go Green! pic.twitter.com/Ssw6rP69tv
— Jonathan Smith (@Coach_Smith) August 15, 2025
It'd be good to have some of the old staff members around the program to help the new coaching staff succeed. These coaches can learn a thing or two from anyone who was on the Dantonio era staff. We already know Dantonio will spend some time around the team like he always does, and it's cool to see Smith embrace a program legend like Mannie.
Michigan State fans are getting more and more excited for the season, especially since it looks like the team is having fun. They got treated to shaved ice after last week's final practice, and then Smith put on some goalie pads for a collaboration with the MSU hockey team.
Now they've gotten to hear from the strength and conditioning coach from Michigan State's run during the Dantonio era.
Are we back yet?