Jonathan Smith highlights 3 Spartans who have helped “build the bridge” with new staff

Jonathan Smith praised a few Spartans who have helped “build the bridge” with the new MSU football coaching staff.

A new staff arriving at a new school is never an easy transition to make. A lot of new faces coming in, new coaches that players need to connect with and brand new position battles are just a few of the challenges faced when this happens. And I’m sure Michigan State hasn’t been immune to any of it.

During the latest Jonathan Smith press conference on Thursday, he talked about how the adjustment to coming to East Lansing has gone. Smith even highlighted three guys that have all helped the new staff out since they arrived in East Lansing.

Who did Smith shout out?

Chris Solari summarized what Smith said in his tweet below about what Spartans have helped him out the most.

Smith says Derrick Harmon, Simon Barrow, Geno VanDeMark are among the veteran players who have stood out in terms of helping build the bridge with those who were on MSU's roster before he took over as coach. All three entered by withdrew from the portal, Barrow during the season.

— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) January 18, 2024

Smith said that Derrick Harmon, Simeon Barrow, and Geno VanDeMark have helped the new staff “build the bridge” with those already on the roster. This is exactly what you want to see happen from the Spartans who decided to stay in East Lansing.

All three of these players entered the transfer portal only to withdraw their names and stay at Michigan State. This tells me that they believe in Jonathan Smith and what he is building in East Lansing. It’s also very important to have these specific players buy in to the new staff.

All three have been at Michigan State for three seasons. So they know all about the culture of this university and the expectations in place for this team. These three are all leaders that the younger guys look up to as well. So if they can get along and work well with the new staff, the younger, less-experienced guys will follow suit.

Lastly, these three helping the new staff shows that this team is already coming together as one unit. When new coaches come in, sometimes there can be a divide between the new guys versus the old guys. The same can be said for new and returning players as well. But for three of the returning Spartans to stand out to Smith in this way shows that the culture at MSU is changing. And I think everyone agrees that the culture changing is for the better.