July is Just as Important as June for Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith

Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith had a productive June. They will need to follow it up with a second consecutive productive month.

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

Michigan State football and Coach Jonathan Smith have reached the last part of an eventful offseason.

After taking over at the helm, Coach Smith spent most of the offseason simply trying to weather the storm of being a first-year football coach at a new program. While Smith is familiar with what it takes to turn around a football program, as he helped do at his alma mater, Oregon State, Smith and his coaching staff undoubtedly had a more extensive battle on their hands upon their arrival in East Lansing. 

Few programs in college football had the type of love-hate relationship with the transfer portal as Smith and Michigan State. Earlier in the offseason, Smith and his coaching staff saw Michigan State go from arguably one of the worst 2025 transfer portal classes to one of the best in just a few weeks. 

As the calendar turned to June, Smith and his coaching staff would focus on future recruiting classes. At the beginning of June, Smith said he and his coaching staff were in for a busy month. He was correct, as Michigan State would add numerous players to their 2025 recruiting classes in June and offer many more scholarships to players in the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes. 

Of all people, Smith undoubtedly knows that it takes more than one offseason to turn around a college football program. However, Smith and his coaching staff have also shown they can successfully navigate the transfer portal. 

This means that after a productive offseason in the transfer portal and a successful June if Michigan State can string together a second consecutive productive month, they could be further along in the rebuilding process than many think. While most would agree that Michigan State is likely in for a difficult season, the first season of a college football program’s rebuild is rarely packed with overly high expectations. 

Rightfully or not, the bar for Michigan State’s football team has been set relatively low this season. However, this could work in Smith's and his coaching staff’s favor in the long term, especially if they can continue being productive in July after a respectable month of June.

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