Michigan State football is entering its first season under Coach Jonathan Smith. The hope surrounding the program is that Coach Smith and his coaching staff will be able to help the Spartans get back on track. The last few seasons have been difficult for the Spartans. Under Coach Smith, Michigan State looks to return to national prominence again. However, in the first season under Coach Smith, the Spartans have one of the most challenging schedules in the Big Ten and one of the most difficult schedules in the country. 

While Coach Smith may or may not be patient with the Spartans’ turnaround, most agree that turning around a football program takes time. In today’s age of the transfer portal, though, sparking a turnaround doesn’t necessarily have to take as long as it did in years past, in which college football programs wouldn’t see the progress of a new coaching regime for at least three or four years. 

After securing one of the best transfer portal classes in the country this offseason, Coach Smith and his coaching staff have given themselves a chance to see at least some progress in their first season in East Lansing. However, even with a talented transfer portal class and competent coaching staff, the Spartans will still need to control what they can control, which is their performance on game day.

With Coach Smith and the Spartans having one of the most challenging schedules in the country, the games they have a chance to win become much more critical. Consecutive games against Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa, and Michigan give the Spartans one of the country’s most difficult four-game stretches. This stretch could realistically see the Spartans go on a four-game losing streak this season. 

Most understand the Spartans will likely not fare well in that stretch of games, as Michigan State is in the beginning stages of a rebuild. Most of those four schools are where Michigan State hopes to one day be as a football program. 

Coach Smith and the Spartans will receive the benefit of the doubt for those four games. However, the Spartans have a chance in every other scheduled game. That four-game stretch in the middle of the season makes nearly all the other games on the Spartans’ schedule all but must-win games if they hope to have a successful season.

The Spartans should win the games against Florida Atlantic and Prarie View A&M. A loss in either game would be a setback. Michigan State plays both Maryland and Boston College on the road. While playing both teams on the road early in the season will be difficult for the Spartans, it is not unreasonable to expect them to win at least one of those games, which is not irrational. The Spartans should enter their game against Ohio State 2-2 at the worst or 3-1 at the best. 

The worst-case scenario would be for the Spartans to lose all four games of the aforementioned four-game stretch. However, even if they did, they would enter the last quarter of the season with four winnable games, three of which will be played in East Lansing.

While many things would need to go right for the Spartans, they could win the last four games of the season and finish with at least six wins, making Coach Smith’s first season a successful one. For this to happen, though, the Spartans must win the games they have a legitimate shot at winning. Doing so would help Coach Smith and his coaching staff shorten the time it takes to rebuild Michigan State’s football program.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers assistant Shayne Whittington has taken a coaching job with Western Michigan University.

Whittington, 33, joined the Pacers in June of 2023 as a Team Assistant. In that assignment, he worked with film, player development, scouting, and other important behind the scenes tasks. Last season was his first in the role.

Now, he’s headed to Western Michigan to become an assistant coach on head men’s basketball coach Dwayne Stephens’ staff. Stephens has been the head coach since 2022, and Whittington played for Western Michigan during his college days. The frontcourt player spent four years with the Broncos from 2009-2014.

During his senior season, Whittington averaged 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. That led to an NBA contract with the Pacers, which is where he spent the only two seasons of his NBA career. He chose to play for the blue and gold despite also having an offer from the San Antonio Spurs. He went overseas for the next few campaigns.

“Shayne is a huge addition to our staff,” Stephens said in a statement. “From his playing days to coaching, Shayne has unbelievable experience and knows what it takes to win at the highest level. He will be a great mentor to our current student-athletes and will help continue to strengthen our relationships amongst alums, the community and donors.”

Whittington averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in his two seasons with the Pacers. “We were super excited that they called,” Whittington remembered of being originally signed by Indiana in an appearance on the Locked On Pacers podcast.

The Michigan native now heads back to his home state to progress in his coaching career. Indiana went 47-35 in the one season that Whittington was on staff.

RAPID CITY, Mich. (FOX 2) – Detectives from the Traverse Narcotics Team (TNT) investigated a suspected drug dealer in Rapid City over the course of several months, and made an arrest last week. 

Stephanie Turner, 32, was arrested June 13, and arraigned the next day on eight felonies and one misdemeanor charge, all relating to selling and possessing drugs. 

Turner is being lodged in the Kalkaska County Jail. 

She was arraigned on three counts of delivery of Cocaine less than 50 grams, possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamines, possession of Fentanyl, larceny of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of analogues, and maintaining a drug house, which is a misdemeanor.

The investigation is still ongoing and additional charges are expected.