Jonathan Smith Says Michigan State's Aidan Chiles Is 'Definitely Ready'

EAST LANSING — Nine months ago, Jonathan Smith took over Michigan State’s struggling football program and began steering it in a new direction.

The air of exhaustion from a period of confusion and frustration last fall has disappeared, replaced by the excitement of annual renewal that accompanies the dawn of a new season.

“It’s something we’ve worked really hard on and we’ve done it,” Smith said Monday in his first game-week press conference with MSU. “I’ve been pleased with how fall camp has gone. I thought there was some competition throughout camp. These guys have been working against each other, and now I know they’re excited to have someone else on the other side of the line of scrimmage.”

The Spartans turned the page Friday night with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Florida Atlantic at Spartan Stadium (Big Ten Network). It comes after they endured a tumultuous 2023, in which former head coach Mel Tucker was fired for off-field issues during the season and nearly the entire staff was let go after it ended. Smith was hired away from his alma mater Oregon State on Nov. 25, a day after MSU finished 4-8 and out of a bowl berth for the third time in four seasons.

After participating in 15 spring practices, releasing 38 players from last year’s team through the portal and bringing in 61 new faces as transfers or freshmen, much of this month for Smith and his staff has been spent building cohesion and communication among his new players. Friday’s opener, he said, is about finding out how well they’ve acclimated during that process.

“The hay’s not in the barn. There’s a sense of urgency,” said Smith, who went 34-35 in six seasons with the Beavers but led Oregon State to a 25-13 record the last three. “You think about games — early games, right? — mechanics, substitution calls, communication. We have new elements this year in college football with tablets and headset communication, and so we’re always looking at that. I feel like our work has gotten us to a good point where, yeah, we can go out and play. And then we have to learn where we’re at.”

“This game is not perfect. But we want to be ready and give them as many opportunities as possible on Friday night.”

START WITH THE QB: Michigan State vs. Florida Atlantic: Aidan Chiles’ spark leads 3-pointers to watch in opener

While Smith has yet to reveal a depth chart, he highlighted some areas where competition has been fiercest over the past month ahead of the game against the Owls, who went 4-8 last season in coach Tom Herman’s debut.

He said he feels comfortable with a rotation of five or six defensive tackles and linebackers. He expects several receivers and tight ends to be put to work early. He added that on the offensive line, “hell, you might see more than five throughout the game” given how the position battles have played out during preseason camp.

“It’s a competition,” Smith said. “We’re talking about 22 starters, and yes, we’re going to put 22 on the field. But I’m glad we’re going to play multiple players at certain positions. … We’re getting closer to where we’re going to say these are the 22 guys that are going to start the game. But it might be the second series in the first quarter where you see different players.”

From a health standpoint, Smith said the Spartans expect some players to deal with “some bumps and bruises throughout the week,” but added there have been no season-ending injuries.

One position already settled is quarterback, whose job falls to sophomore Aidan Chiles. The 18-year-old transfer who played 91 snaps last season as a backup quarterback for many of MSU’s new coaches at Oregon State will make his college debut Friday, and Smith said there are no plans to give the senior transfer and four-year North Dakota starting quarterback Tommy Schuster any packages or opportunities designed beyond his backup role.

“We have a goal. We were here to win games,” Chiles said Thursday after being named one of Michigan State University’s five captains. “And I mean, there’s nothing more important than that.”

Still, Smith — himself a former starting quarterback at Oregon State from 1998-2001 — said he expected Chiles, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 210 pounds, to be a little nervous in his new surroundings and role.

“I think he’s definitely ready for it,” Smith said. “He’s a competitive player. And a true competitor understands that things aren’t going to go perfectly every snap, and things are going to happen. There’s going to be some really good plays, too. But there’s nothing like experience. And the guy’s been on the field playing high-level football before. It just wasn’t there from the first snap. So we’ll be there for him as he adjusts.”

“And we are convinced that, thanks to his preparation, his instinct and his competitive spirit, he will give us a chance to score points.”

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.

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