"It wasn’t great": College football analyst delivers verdict on Jonathan Smith's first season at Michigan State
Greg McElroy gave Jonathan Smith a B- grade for his first season at Michigan State on "Always College Football." He called Smith one of the best hires from the last coaching cycle and praised Michigan State for securing him before other programs could. However, McElroy noted that Smith’s debut season with the Spartans fell short of expectations.
“First year? It wasn’t great, especially the way things ended for them,” McElroy said, per On3 on Wednesday. “The final four games of the year, to get blown out in three different games is not ideal.
“To score zero points in the second half against Purdue when you barely survive and Purdue, at this point, not very good whatsoever? It was not a good finish to the season. November was not kind.”
Michigan State finished 2024 with a 5-7 overall record and a 3-6 mark in Big Ten play. After a 3-0 start, the Spartans struggled, going 2-7 the rest of the way. Their final month was especially rough, as they went 1-3 with an average losing margin of 28.7 points.
McElroy highlighted the team’s late-season collapses, including three blowout losses in its final four games and a scoreless second half against Purdue.
Despite the struggles, McElroy acknowledged some bright spots, such as a strong home win against Iowa and a competitive showing at Michigan. However, Michigan State's heavy transfer portal activity—adding 24 players while losing 36—reflected the program’s instability.
Jonathan Smith's offensive struggles were major concern
The Spartans' offensive struggles were also a major concern. According to On3, Michigan State averaged just 19.3 points per game, ranking among the bottom five Power Five teams. Quarterback Aidan Chiles had an up-and-down season, completing 59.4% of his passes for 2,415 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while committing 15 total turnovers.
“There were a lot of games in which, just, you wanted more from their offense,” McElroy said. “Aidan Chiles had a very up and down season – completed less than 60% of his passes, turned the ball over way too much. You’ve got yo get the best out of Aidan Chiles moving forward.”
Greg McElroy emphasized that Jonathan Smith’s first year largely met expectations given the roster turnover but stressed the need for offensive improvement, particularly from Chiles, moving forward.
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