Jonathan Smith reveals Michigan State freshmen standing out in scrimmages

It’s now year two of the rebuild at Michigan State under head coach Jonathan Smith. That means that the incoming freshman class is one that he’s had time to recruit to the program and knows that it’s entering a program where there’s an opportunity to quickly turn things around.

Several freshmen are already standing out in Fall Camp for Michigan State too. In particular, Jonathan Smith singled out tight end Jayden Savoury and running back Jace Clarizio, who both made their presence felt during a recent scrimmage.

“Yeah, Jayden Savoury has made some plays,” Jonathan Smith said. “Caught a touchdown in the scrimmage on Saturday. True freshman-wise, and what I like about him, we always felt his athleticism was gonna be top-notch, but he’s shown some physicality in the running game. He’s shown up. Liking that.”

Jayden Savoury was actually a two-sport athlete heading into college. As well as being a tight end, he was fairly heavily recruited to play basketball as well. A native of Canton, Michigan, he’s ready to make his impact felt as a tight end for the Spartans.

The other freshman who Jonathan Smith highlighted was Jace Clarizio. An East Lansing native, he was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2025. He was also the 459th-ranked prospect overall and 39th-ranked running back in that class.

“I think Jace is carrying it, learning more and more of the physical brand of carrying the ball,” Smith said. “Not just with his skillset. I think he’s grown. Had a couple good carries of putting his foot in the ground and getting four or five when maybe earlier he’s apt to bounce it. Those two guys stand out.”

Greg McElroy makes the case for Michigan State to make a bowl game

It’s been three seasons since Michigan State has been to a bowl game. Despite that, Greg McElroy can make the case for the Spartans to get bowl eligible this season.

“Michigan State? I love Jonathan Smith, will continue to love Jonathan Smith. They kind of hit rock bottom a couple of years ago – one of the worst programs in school history, one of the worst seasons in school history. But you got think this group is going to be much, much better here in the years to come. This is a pretty significant transition and you would hope that this is a year where you can get that second-year jump from what we’ve seen from Jonathan Smith in the past,” McElroy said.

“Aidan Chiles, he is the centerpiece. He’s their quarterback. He was a five-star guy. Like I said, Aidan Chiles. He’s the straw that stirs the drink. As a true freshman at Oregon State, there’s a lot of things to like. Last year, there were some parts of his game that you appreciated. He was willing to stretch the field, but he’s got to be better from a situational standpoint. He’s got a big arm. He can throw the ball down the field. He’s pretty elusive. His ability to scramble could be a big difference… They are the sole team in the Big Ten in tier for where I think they’ll go bowling but, beyond that, it’s going to be hard for me to envision this as a significant surge.”

That quest to get to bowl eligibility begins on August 29th. That’s when Michigan State opens the season against Western Michigan.