EAST LANSING – One week of preseason camp, Michigan State Football put the pads on on Monday morning. Jonathan Smith made sure his players made some live tackles too.
Even so, there were only 24 plays, about eight reps per guy, and in a very controlled environment.
“Limited amount, but some live matches,” the first-year coach said afterward. “I thought it was good for the guys to continue progressing and playing. They are working hard. After a week, I’m pleased with the effort and attention to detail. We’re playing them a lot. It’s not perfect, not perfect by any means, but I appreciate the effort these guys are giving and fighting each other day in and day out.”
Perhaps symbolically, or perhaps due to a scheduling error, the Spartans also brought in three linebackers to speak to the media. And they wanted to make their presence known.
Not with his batting, but with some bold predictions.
“I think we have the best linebacker room in the country,” said second-year linebacker Jordan Hall. “I honestly believe that.”
There is still a lot to do to prove this on the field.
New defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s aggressive 4-3 scheme sometimes relies on having an extra linebacker to take pressure off the edge. Hall said he’s working on it and is back in the middle of the defense alongside veteran Cal Haladay. Those two combined for 1,158 snaps between them, with Haladay’s 644 second on the team, and the Spartans lost 571 snaps with the loss of Aaron Brule to graduation.
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But beyond those three, the linebacker corps went from weak to decimated by the end of the season with injuries and wear and tear. Jacoby Windmon was injured early and was lost for the season before leaving for the NFL, and Darius Snow was shut down for the second consecutive season after four games.
That led Smith and Rossi to actively pursue linebacker depth after they arrived, bringing in transfers Jordan Turner from Wisconsin and Wayne Matthews III from Old Dominion and having Brady Pretzlaff enroll early.
Snow is back on the field and Aaron Alexander returns for his second season after transferring from Massachusetts. MSU also removed 2023 four-star prospect Semaj Bridgeman from Michigan through the portal with four years left to play, and Miami (Florida) transfer Marcellius Pulliam with three years of eligibility remaining.
“The cool thing is that I think there is a mix of skills. I think there is a mix of ages,” Rossi said on Thursday. “We have a guy who is a senior, we have a guy who has two years left, we have a guy who has three years left and we have a guy who has four years left. And that was really important to us, that it wasn’t three guys with one year, because then all you’re doing is creating your own problems for next year.
“So there are different skill sets. They are all great people. We have a few years advantage over him. So it’s a good group.”
Turner, a Farmington Hills native, returned for his final season of eligibility after starting 18 of his 30 career games with the Badgers at inside linebacker. Matthews has two years remaining and was ranked as the No. 4 linebacker in the portal according to 247Sports.com and received a preseason third-team All-Big Ten selection from Phil Steele’s College Football ’24 magazine.
While there has been a change in coaching and, along with it, a change in buzz phrases and terminology, Matthews pointed to something the previous team talked about constantly – attention to detail – as necessary for success.
“Football is a contact sport. Guys fall down sometimes, so you have to be ready to fill that spot,” said Matthews, like Hall, a Maryland native who earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors last fall as a sophomore. “So you have to know what you’re doing at all times.”
Rossi believes having more options in the middle of their defense will be key in helping MSU improve their pass rush and coverage.
“With some of the additions we had in the spring and summer,” Hall said, “we’ll be able to rotate it, keep everyone fresh and healthy.”
Smith said the goal remains Saturday for the Spartans to play the first of two scrimmages expected during camp. MSU opens at home against Florida Atlantic on August 30 (7 p.m./Big Ten Network).
“Defensively we have potential. But it has to happen,” Smith said Monday. “I think it’s pretty competitive in terms of depth and where you’re going to land on the depth chart. I mean, there’s still a lot to be decided there.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @crissolari.
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To open: Owls
Comparison: Michigan State (4-8 in 2023) vs. Michigan State (4-8 in 2023) Florida Atlantic (4-8 in 2023).
Start: 7pm on August 30th; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith on defense: ‘We have potential’
