Fifth-year graduate senior and two-year football letterwinner Sam Edwards is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree. He graduated with a double major in political theory and constitutional democracy / international relations in May 2024, and is finishing his minor in political economy this fall. Edwards has been the football team’s Scholar-Athlete Award winner the past two years for maintaining the highest cumulative grade-point average on the team.

Growing up in Williamston, Michigan, during a great period of MSU football, I was fortunate to have countless role models of toughness and resilience in the green and white, and quickly realized that Michigan State’s brand of football was everything I aspired to. When I was offered an opportunity to join the team out of high school by Coach Dantonio, I couldn’t pass it up.

Though my first four years have been filled with a number of highs and lows, I am grateful for all of the wins and lessons along the way. Most importantly, I am excited and confident about the future of Michigan State football, and in the next chapter which commences Friday night.

'The more connected we are, the more committed we’ll become.'

This was the first message shared by Coach Smith during his introductory team meeting back in November of 2023. The principle that a team whose members are truly connected will be entirely committed to the common goal and common good of the team is something that Coach has instilled in us from the start, and we have worked hard to live up to it.

In this age of college football, especially in the wake of a coaching change, there are a bunch of new faces on the team. Through shared adversity in the form of challenging workouts, meetings where we get to know each other’s stories, and countless other team building activities both planned and unplanned, we have grown more connected than ever, and thus more and more committed to the team.

On the practice field we have been focused on the process of improvement since the final whistle of last season. Coach Smith’s regimen of deliberate practice has challenged us to compete at our highest level and to do it together. Repetition, feedback and coaching has pushed everyone in the room to improve day by day. By practicing the little things, enacting perfection and focusing on the process, we have continued to work to improve, and look forward to gamedays this fall.

Two aspects of the culture at Michigan State that I believe separate it from many other programs are the close connection with past players and the community, and the level of off-the-field support.

Our day-to-day process is supported behind the scenes by a team of exceptional strength and conditioning coaches, sports dieticians, athletic trainers and academic support staff, and the services provided by this group are next to none. They are there every step of the way, making sure that you don’t slack in any facet of your life, between fueling and training your body, recovering from the demands of the game, as well as learning and developing your intellect in the classroom.

A personal anecdote and illustration of this experience of support was during this fall camp, where I began my day with meetings and practice, quickly shifted gears as I left campus briefly to complete my LSAT, before returning to football meetings in the afternoon and a makeup lift with Coach Mac (Mike McDonald) the following day. This embodied the Spartan experience for me, as I did my best to excel on and off the field, while a community of staff and teammates supported me every step of the way.

In addition to the staff, former players are a constant force in offering wisdom and insight into how to be successful as a collegiate student athlete. Hall-of-famers and champions are constantly around at practice and in the hallways, giving back to the program that they feel so strongly about. That timeless family atmosphere is what makes the Michigan State community special.

Gameday is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to playing Michigan State football. Countless hours of lifting, conditioning, drills, meetings, film study, and practice contribute to the product seen on Saturdays. Furthermore, we are constantly encouraged to develop in everything we do. Coach Smith reminds us that we can chase down championships and pursue our goals on the field while being exceptional students and chasing a degree at the same time. It is this comprehensive experience that shapes us not only into high level football players, but also pushes us to be high character young men and members of the community. How you do one thing is how you do everything.

To be a Michigan State Spartan is to be tough, gritty and capable of responding with resilience to whatever adversity presents itself over the course of a game, a season and especially in life. The vast network of support, the connected community and the Spartans Will is what makes this possible both on and off the field.