This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michiganstate as Michigan State LB Jordan Hall Defends Jonathan Smith. Given where Michigan State football had been prior to Jonathan Smith's arrival, a lot of pressure has been placed on the Spartans' head coach to turn this program around and get it back to a level of prominence.

Smith took over the Spartans after the disastrous end to the Mel Tucker era and the typical roster overhaul followed a change at the top. A 3-0 start last fall raised a few eyebrows but Michigan State dropped seven of the last nine games to finish with a losing record for the third straight year.