Jonathan Smith Made it Clear to His Team Upon Arrival: 'We're All Spartans Here'
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith brought an abundance of support with him from Oregon State, both in the coaching department and on the roster.
On the coaching side, Smith has his former Beavers assistant head coach/running backs coach Keith Bhonapha, offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, tight ends coach Brian Wozniak, offensive line coach Jim Michalczik and defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa. Player-wise, Smith was also joined by former Oregon State quarterback Aidan Chiles, tight end Jack Velling and offensive lineman Tanner Miller.
While it can be extremely beneficial for a coach to have that familiarity, that coach has to make sure their team knows it is valued. Coach Smith had to quickly assure his new team that while he was here for Spartan football, despite carrying over people he found success with in Corvallis.
"The approach, really -- one of the first team meetings I had with the team, I kind of spoke to it," Smith said at Big Ten Football Media Days on Wednesday. "This is December, right? There's players that were going to be transferring coming because there had already been so many players that had been in the portal. So, there was going to be new players and a different head coach, there's players on Michigan State's roster who had different head coaches who recruited them.
"So, it wasn't going to be a room where like, 'Oh, you got Smitty's guys and you got previous guys.' We're all Spartans here, and so, I spoke to it. Talked about equal opportunity and wanting to do it together. And these messages, it's not just words; we have to live this out. And that's been our approach the eight months being here."
Conveying that message was vital early on for Smith to establish a trust and unity among his new program. While players have come and gone since he first arrived on campus, Smith now has those he will take into battle in just a little over a month from now.
The preparation begins Tuesday when Smith and the Spartans hit the field for fall camp in East Lansing.
Michigan State will host Florida Atlantic for its home opener on Friday, Aug. 30.
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