Comings and goings from the gridiron
It is now officially the offseason for both of the main revenue-earning sports at Michigan State. So let’s turn our attention back to the football team for a few minutes and catch up on some of the news that has come out of that program in the last few weeks. We knew it was going to be a period of change for the football team with the dismissal of the old coaching regime and the hiring of Jonathan Smith from Oregon State. And while most of the roster moves had occurred back in the immediate aftermath of the season in December and January, there was some recent activity. As the offseason calendar rolls on, we will continue to share the news with you. Here are some recent clippings.
- Spring Practice began on March 19.
- On March 18, it was announced that two members of the team were no longer with the program. Those players are RB Jaelin Barbarin and LB Ma’a Gaoteote. Between the two of them, they combined for one play in the 2023 season due to injury. Ma’a, however, was much more active in his first two seasons in East Lansing.
- With all of last year’s QBs gone from the roster, there is going to be a “competition” for the starting role in camp. That said, transfer Aidan Chiles, who followed coach Smith from Oregon State, is the obvious frontrunner. Coach was quoted as saying it would be an “Upset” if Chiles did not win the job.
- MSU does not have any commitments for its 2025 class yet, but in-state athlete Elijah Dotson from Detroit Jesuit named the Spartans as one of his final eight schools.
- The Spring Game is scheduled for Saturday, April 20.