Just three days after the conclusion of the 2023 season, the Michigan State Football team lost its first players to the transfer portal that opens up for the offseason. Tuesday, QB Noah Kim, WR Christian Fitzpatrick, WR Tyrell Henry and OL Geno VanDeMark all hopped in the transfer portal
Following a rough ending to Michigan State Football’s season on Friday night, rumors began to circulate around the uncertainty of the coaching staff heading into next season.About 12 short hours later, MSU got to work quickly and found their new head coach. Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith finalized a deal with the Spartans to become the new head coach of Michigan State, the program announced Saturday afternoon.
Jonathan Smith, who has led Oregon State to new heights during his tenure over the past six seasons, has been named Michigan State University’s 26th head football coach.
The finish to the season doesn’t excite the Spartan faithful, but the team has fought adversity throughout the entirety of 2023. With their backs against the wall, Michigan State showed up to each game with the same mentality, believing they would win no matter the result on the field. In order to get back to where the program once was though, a new coaching hire would need to be a significant one to take the step back in the right direction.
After a grueling game of back and forth for the Spartans, they were able to pull off a shootout win and take an extra point off of the tie game with a shootout winner from sophomore forward Karsen Dorwart.
In the final post game press conference of the season, interim head coach Harlon Barnett kept it short and simple when describing the 2023 Michigan State football season.“It was the season of adversity,” Barnett said after the 42-0 loss in which redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser was sacked six times and where the defense allowed sophomore Penn State running backs to both rush for over 150 yards.
In the last game of Michigan State football’s season, the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions dominated the Spartans in every way to come out with a 42-0 win at Ford Field in Detroit.
Another slow start for MSU was the root of its 74-68 loss to the Wildcats on Thanksgiving Day in Palm Springs, Calif.. The Spartans started 3-for-15 from the field and trailed by 14 points midway through the first half.
Know Thy Enemy is a Q&A where the perspective changes from the eyes of The State News to the eyes of the student newspaper of Michigan State's opponent. This week, The State News' football beat writer Nick Lundberg spoke with football editor Seth Engle of the Daily Collegian ahead of Friday’s Penn State-Michigan State game.
The Spartans head to Marruici arena in Minnesota for a Friday night game on Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Plus, and they round out the weekend on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network, when they hope to take another away sweep and get their revenge from last season's 0-5 record against Minnesota.
Coming into the matchup with a 4-7 record, MSU has had many tales of their long season. The Spartans picked up a quality comeback win in their last contest against Indiana, winning 24-21. With the Nittany Lions coming to town however, it is going to be difficult to maintain momentum that Michigan State has generated over the past week or so.
Michigan State basketball, known for its grueling non-conference schedule year in and year out, faces yet another daunting task in No. 3 Arizona on Thanksgiving Day in Palm Springs, Calif..
Sitting on a 4-7 record, there doesn’t seem to be much left to play for to the average viewer, as the Spartans were eliminated from bowl game contention two weeks back in a loss to No.1 ranked Ohio State. However, the closing message on the year is more significant than wins and losses.
“I am a Spartan, I bleed green, and there’s nobody that they can find to do a better job,” Barnett said at his press conference on Monday. “Maybe equal to (me), because I ain’t gonna do that – confident, not cocky – but there’s nobody that they can find better. Maybe equal to, but not better.” Just hours after Barnett made his pitch, MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo praised the former All-American Spartan defensive back’s efforts this season with the turmoil surrounding the program.
After an eventful weekend at Munn Ice Arena, where the Spartans swept last week’s No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers, the MSU hockey team has started their move back into the top 10 and have been slotted at No. 7 for the week in the USCHO and USA Hockey polls, moving up a whopping 4 spots from No. 11.
For the final game of the 2023 regular season, Michigan State football will be heading to Ford Field in Detroit for the first time since 2010 to play the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions. This will be the last time MSU will take the field this year as they would not be bowl eligible even if they were able to complete the upset and take home the Land Grant Trophy.
Michigan State basketball fell three spots in the AP Poll this week, going from 18 to 21 after losing to No. 9 Duke last Tuesday night in Chicago for the Champions Classic. They were able to dominate Butler and Alcorn State at home though to improve to a 3-2 record this season.
Michigan State football had two players take home Big Ten weekly awards after their last second win against Indiana on Saturday. Redshirt junior tight end Maliq Carr won offensive player of the week while redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser took home freshman of the week.
Improved shooting sees the Spartans cruise past Alcorn State by a score of 81-49.
Michigan State’s men’s basketball team took care of business against Alcorn State Sunday night, handling the Braves by a score of 81-49. The win marked MSU’s second in three days.