Smith is applying a very steady plan here. They’re not going to make a huge splash; they’re just going to improve steadily,” said the anonymous coach. “He’s got a blueprint that worked for him at Oregon State.”

The coach later highlighted the Spartans’ defensive unit as the biggest flaw of the team. The Spartans allowed the fourth-most points in the Big Ten last season at 26.1 per game and were middle of the pack in defending both the pass and run.

They struggled heavily to stay in games last season largely because of their defense.

“They need a lot of work on defense, specifically the line and the secondary, at corner, and the running game was pretty mediocre for them last year,” the coach said. “But they’ve done a really solid job with transfers, and they’re still building their high school recruiting out.”