Could Michigan State's Success in the Transfer Portal be a Regular Occurrence?

Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith were able to turn a weakness into a strength earlier this offseason. Could Coach Smith's success in the transfer portal be a sign of things to come?

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith leaves the file after the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Coach Jonathan Smith faced a critical issue earlier this offseason when he and Michigan State’s football team simultaneously lost nearly 20 players to the transfer portal. Michigan State lost multiple starters during that mass exodus, setting Coach Smith and his coaching staff back even further behind schedule than they had initially thought they would be. 

Smith and his coaching staff were forced to adjust their plans quickly after losing so many quality players simultaneously. While any new coaching staff expects to lose players, Michigan State was one of the football programs most negatively impacted by the transfer early this offseason. Some experts even had the Spartans ranked as the worst team in the transfer portal at one point this offseason. 

However, that was before the Spartans could fill the voids created by the transfer portal with other talented players from different schools in the transfer portal. Like the players they were able to sign in the portal, Smith and his coaching staff understood that Michigan State is still a quality football program; it is just a rebuilding program. 

The voids left by the players who left Michigan State opened room for players who wanted to play for Smith. This allowed many talented and motivated players from other programs to come to East Lansing for a fresh start. Smith and his coaching staff would eventually put together one of the better transfer portal classes this offseason. They went from one of the worst football programs in this year’s transfer portal class to one of the top 12 in the country. 

Next offseason, Michigan State's new-look coaching staff will have had an entire season of play. If they are even mildly successful on the field this season, it would be wise for Smith to focus even more on the transfer portal heading into next offseason, as the transfer portal would be the quickest way to turn Michigan State’s football program around.

Talented transfer portal classes with talented recruiting classes would help expedite the rebuilding process for Michigan State’s football program. As Smith and his coaching staff help move Michigan State's football program into the future, an increased focus on the transfer portal could work wonders.

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