Predicting 2024 Michigan State football stat leaders

Fall camp has officially begun and the final countdown is underway for Jonathan Smith’s first season to begin.

This year won’t be like any other we’ve seen before as the coaching staff and roster have new faces all over the place. So at this point it’s hard for us to know who the leaders of the team will be on field this season.

But I think I have a good idea of how it could shake out. So here are my predictions for who will lead Michigan State in the eight major statistical categories this season.

1. Passing yards

The leader for passing yards this season is pretty obvious. Aidan Chiles will be the starter this year all season long, so the better question is how many passing yards will he throw for.

It is Chiles’ first year as a starter, so he likely won’t be leading the country or Big Ten for that matter. But I think the talent is there for him to have an above average first year as a starter.

Chiles was a top 60 recruit out of high school and put together a solid true freshman campaign as a backup. Going 24-for-35 (68.6 percent), 309 yards, and four touchdowns isn’t bad by any means for a true freshman. But now as a full time starter I think he’s ready to take it up significantly.

Prediction: I think Chiles’ accuracy will hover around 70 percent again and he’ll throw for 3,500 yards. Assuming Michigan State makes a bowl game, that will put him at 269 pass yards per game. I’ll take that every time from him this season.