Michigan State Football Announces Spring Practice Schedule, Game Format

The Spartans continue through winter conditioning with spring practice about a month and a half away...

Author:
Matthew Lounsberry
Publish date:
Jan 31, 2024 8:23 PM EST

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After the dust settled from the excitement of the Jonathan Smith hire, the upheaval of several transfer portal departures, National Signing Day for the 2024 class and multiple transfer additions, Michigan State football has entered a quiet period over the past couple weeks.

The second signing period for the 2024 cycle begins next Wednesday, but it's unlikely the Spartans will add more than one or two high school prospects to the roster. With most things concerning this fall's MSU football team set in place, we know now when we'll get our first look at the new program that Smith and his staff are building in East Lansing.

On Wednesday, Michigan State announced the football program will host a "spring showcase" on April 20, in lieu of the more traditional Green and White spring game.

While there's no doubt this will be disappointing for some Spartan fans, if Smith holds to the way he conducted his "spring showcase" last season at Oregon State, the MSU faithful should still get a good look at the 2024 Spartans in April. According to a report from The Oregonian, Smith and the Beavers held a 45-minute practice session followed by roughly an hour of scrimmages. Previous head coach Mel Tucker ran similar spring events over the last three seasons, though the scrimmage sessions seemed to run shorter than an hour long.

Many Michigan State fans hoped that Smith would bring back the Green and White game from Mark Dantonio's tenure, but that appears unlikely. The Oregonian report suggested that Smith opted for the practice/scrimmage format throughout his time with the Beavers, the goal being to keep players healthy and avoid any major injuries to key players.

There will still be plenty for Michigan State fans to watch for in April, however. Most notably, a chance to see Oregon State transfer quarterback Aiden Chiles in a Green and White uniform for the first time. Excitement for Chiles began to build among MSU's fanbase as soon as Smith was hired, and the highly-touted former four-star is already generating high expectations. The Spartan faithful will also get their first look at 2024 four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh and the rest of Michigan State's early-enrollee freshman, as well as key second-year players such as linebacker Jordan Hall and cornerback Chance Rucker.

Per NCAA rules, Michigan State will conduct 15 spring practices which will begin on March 19 and run through the "showcase" on April 20.

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