Jalen Thompson comments on Aidan Chiles' work ethic, trusting Jonathan Smith

There have been a lot of things that have been constant since the Jonathan Smith era began at Michigan State. The most prominent has been how much players already trust Smith and how hard Aidan Chiles works. Those are two extremely important things for any football team if they want to be successful as there aren't any greater leaders on a team than the head coach and starting quarterback.

After spring practice on Tuesday, sophomore defensive lineman Jalen Thompson spoke with the media and discussed both of these topics in detail.

Trust in Jonthan Smith

One of the most important things, and potentially most difficult, whenever a new head coach takes overs is building trust with the roster. Obviously Smith already had that with the many Oregon State players that chose to follow him to East Lansing, but Smith had to earn that from his new players already at MSU.

This trust has been earned already by many players in the program, including Thompson who said, "I would say Coach Smith is a man of his word. Ever since he stepped in the door, everything he's said he's going to do, he's done."

Thompson is going to be an intrigual part of the Spartan's defensive line this offseason, both on the field and as a leader off the field. So this is a huge step in the right direction for the entire team if a leader like Thompson already feels this way about Smith.

Aidan Chiles' work ethic

Another thing potentially as important as building trust with your head coach is seeing your star quarterback become a leader as well. Many Spartans have been pleasently surprised with new quarterback Aidan Chiles since he came to East Lansing. Not only because of the insane talent he has, but because of his work ethic.

Jalen has noticed this as well, saying "He'll get out there, ball out, come in after practice, still get some work in, come in on the weekends, still get work in - I like his work ethic." This type of work ethic from Aidan will only make the team better. Not only will it make Chiles better himself, but it will likely cause the rest of the team to put in extra work as well.

Chiles not only is putting in work with the football team, but he was recently seen playing quarterback for an intramural flag football team on campus as well.

My excitement for the season this fall was already sky high, but every day that passes it seems to increase even more. This feels like a special team, both on and off the field, and feels like a team that will shock a lot of people this season. I for one can't wait for when they do.