There’s already talent for Jonathan Smith to work with in East Lansing

New Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith doesn’t exactly have a bare cupboard to work with in East Lansing.

With the announcement welcoming Jonathan Smith as the 26th head coach of Michigan State football, the questions now surround the coaching staff, and the players that he will retain, or bring in.

Smith is an offensive guy himself but has built the Oregon State brand, similarly to Mark Dantonio. The hard-nosed, tough, gritty brand that Smith brought to Corvallis, could easily be welcomed back in East Lansing. I couldn’t be more excited for Smith to build his staff, and it’s going to happen quickly. A large salary pool will go far for Smith, but who he hires, is going to be under a critical eye.

As for the players, Smith obviously has talent in Corvallis. You don’t build a top-25 program without that, and it should be a relatively easy sell to his players there. But Smith doesn’t have to look too far for talent. It won’t require an overhaul like Deion Sanders in Boulder. Smith has plenty to build on, already in East Lansing, and with better coaching, these players will be put in a much better position to showcase their talent. 

The coaching staff

This program needs a complete overhaul regarding staff and coaches. All the way from your offensive line and quarterback coaches to the strength and conditioning department. But I believe there is talent here, and if Jonathan Smith can make the calls and keep the right guys around, he shouldn’t have too much overhaul to do in year one.

A lot of people have been critical of Harlon Barnett, and maybe rightfully so, as he certainly didn’t coach himself into a job this season. But the relationships that several members of the 2023 staff have with recruits and players, could make or break the retention you see this offseason. It’s obvious that the Michigan State coordinators failed to put players in the right positions in 2023 and more, but a lot of the position coaches, like Courtney Hawkins, are of key importance.

Offensive line

I was specifically critical of the offensive line personnel decisions at times. Smith has a loaded line in Corvallis, being one of 12 teams named semi-finalists for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the best offensive line in college football. A top run-blocking offensive line, per PFF, and the top-rated lineman in the country, Taliese Fuaga, who is likely to be a first-round draft pick. With this being said, I see Ethan Boyd, Ashton Lepo, Gavin Broscious, and freshman Stanton Ramil as key pieces that already reside in East Lansing. 

The rest of the offense

As for the rest of the offense, Nathan Carter is a guy who can help your offense start off on a good note, as we’ve seen in 2023. I’m high on both Katin Houser and Sam Leavitt. A lot of MSU fans were critical of Houser at points in 2023. I think there are many variables that didn’t lend itself to his success.

First off, being only a redshirt freshman who didn’t even start the season as a starter, growing pains were to be expected. And I’m not even sure if you can call it growing pains, as he was consistently under pressure, and had no help with how the Spartans and offensive coordinator Jay Johnson called the offense for him. With Smith, a former quarterback himself, and more help around him, I think Houser can thrive. 

The next job for Smith is to keep Nick Marsh committed. And that’s likely going to take the retainment of Courtney Hawkins. With Marsh, you have a strong receiver room with Tyrell Henry, Antonio Gates Jr., and Jaron Glover showing promising flashes in 2023. 

Defense

The defensive side of the ball is where Smith needs to earn his paycheck early on. With what we saw from freshman linebacker Jordan Hall, defensive lineman Jalen Thompson, and defensive back Chance Rucker, the pitch for them to stick around needs to be made early. Around them, with players like defensive end Zion Young, defensive back Malik Spencer, and various other depth pieces, again, you have building blocks here.

It has been reported by David Harns at Spartans Rivals that Barnett has already spoken to 2024 commits Justin Denson and Jaylen Thompson. Barnett told them that he was being retained by Smith, which was met with a positive reaction from the four-star recruits.

I’ve said it since Mel Tucker was officially fired. There is no need for a complete overhaul in East Lansing. I would venture to say there is enough talent for Jonathan Smith to compete next season, and that’s barring any talent or recruits he brings from Oregon State. Spartan fans have a real reason to be excited about the future because there is so much untapped talent already here. Look for Smith to keep a lot of these guys around, and these key players should be excited to play for Smith as well.