Coach Jonathan Smith is Proving He Can Recruit, Must Now Change Focus

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith has proven he can recruit shorthanded and on short notice. As the season nears, he and his coaching staff must switch gears.

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith talks the media on the first national signing day for college football recruits Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith and his coaching staff have had arguably their most productive month since taking over the football program. Coach Smith has faced many obstacles in just a few short months. Upon taking the job in East Lansing, his duties were wide-ranging and required him to handle many things simultaneously. The most significant obstacles Smith and his coaching staff have faced were in the transfer portal and the recruiting trail. 

After spending most of the offseason making up for losses to the transfer portal, Smith would eventually guide Michigan State to one of the top-ranking transfer portal classes in the country. While signing such a talented transfer portal class undoubtedly was a morale booster for Smith and the Spartans, they did not have much time to rest as they needed to attack the recruiting trail just as aggressively, with less time on their hands to do so. 

With June all but completed, the dust has started to settle, and the productiveness of the month that Smith and the Spartans had is becoming more apparent. While many scholarship offers are still out, the fruits of Smith and his coaching staff’s labor have started to show. After starting the month with five recruits signed from the 2025 recruiting class, Smith and his coaching staff are now up to 14 signees, with more commitments expected to be on the way. 

While the talent is not necessarily top-tier, Smith and his coaching staff have still signed a respectable group of recruits from the 2025 recruiting class. Smith will have many more seasons to prove how well he can recruit. However, he has already shown he can recruit well with limited resources and limited time on his hands.

As Smith’s first season at the helm inches closer to starting, his attention will naturally move to the next phase of his plan: development. Smith has a history of rebuilding a college football program.

No matter how well a coaching staff does on the recruiting trail, it does not matter if they cannot develop the talent they’ve secured. Much of Smith’s plans to rebuild Michigan State’s football program hinge on his ability to develop players. Smith and his coaching staff’s approach to recruiting shows they are confident in their ability to do so.

Their success in East Lansing will depend on it.

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