Michigan State football: What’re top recruiting priorities for Jonathan Smith?

Many fans are wondering about recruiting under Jonathan Smith. What will Michigan State football recruiting look like now?

In case you were living off the grid over the past 24 hours, Michigan State football finally hired its next head coach on Saturday. With Jonathan Smith on his way to East Lansing, it is time to look forward to the next steps for the program rebuild. There are a couple of important dates looming and coming up quickly. If Smith wants to get a good jump-start on the offseason, he will have to start addressing these few things soon.

So what’s next for Michigan State football?

The main major decisions that will start would be staffing. It will be important for Smith to make some crucial staffing decisions as soon as possible because the class of 2024 recruiting deadlines are looming. It was already reported by 247Sports Insider Justin Thind that Smith is looking to hopefully bring over his offensive line coach (already happened), his tight ends coach, and potentially his defensive coordinator from Oregon State. These would be big moves as all three come highly regarded.

SOURCE: Jonathan Smith will prioritize DC Trent Bray, OL coach Jim Michalczik, & TE coach Brian Wozniak for his new staff at MSU, along w/ a few more of his current assistants.

Bray, a key candidate to replace Smith as OSU HC, will be a tough pull (VIP): https://t.co/njYjEGtEUi

— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) November 25, 2023

Lansing State Journal’s Graham Couch also reported early that it’s rumored that current MSU interim coach Harlon Barnett was potentially offered a position on staff to remain at MSU.

Clarity from Harlon Barnett: He now says he “possibly” has the opportunity to stay at MSU, but needs to talk with Jonathan Smith first.

My hunch is he stays. Would make a lot of sense for Smith. But that’s different than it originally seemed. Apologies for any confusion. https://t.co/3cXIA0q9Bo

— Graham Couch (@Graham_Couch) November 25, 2023

Barnett stated his desire to stay at Michigan State if a head coaching position doesn’t get offered to him. Keeping him on staff could have big recruiting implications for the 2024 class. Other staffing questions that need to be addressed include who will be taking over as offensive coordinator. Other position coaches such as quarterbacks, receivers running backs, and several defensive positions need to be addressed as well.

The main question MSU fans want answered is the potential of former Spartan wideout Courtney Hawkins. He has been highly regarded during his time in East Lansing for not only his role in developing receivers but also for his great work on the recruiting trail. It’s no secret that MSU’s top 2024 recruit, Nick Marsh, has developed a great relationship with Hawkins. Retaining Hawkins in some capacity would certainly go a long way in MSU’s ability to keep Marsh as part of its 2024 class.

If I were Smith, my first task would be trying to get as much of the staff in place as possible so we could quickly start contacting potential recruits. As I previously stated, there are two important dates upcoming in terms of 2024 recruiting and roster building.

The first big date is Dec. 4. On that day, the transfer portal officially opens for players. This means Smith has to start contacting the current MSU players he wishes to retain and start building a relationship with them before this date. This is why a big part of keeping a few former Michigan State football staffers could be key. Keeping Barnett and Hawkins would signify two crucial figures, from each side of the ball that players already know and trust.

This would help greatly in retaining current MSU players and recruits.

The other part of this equation is figuring out if any of his current players and recruits who were a focal part of the plan at Oregon State would fit in here. To be perfectly honest, I’m not super well-versed in Oregon State recruiting. There are a couple of players on the Beavers’ roster and in their 2024 recruiting class who I would like Smith to make a run at potentially bringing with him. Recruiting class-wise, the Beavers’ 2024 class is ranked 61st in the 2024 class rankings with 15 verbal commits. Three of those players de-committed on Saturday and have reopened their recruitments.

As far as roster commits, I think the first name that comes up for most fans would be freshman quarterback Aidan Chiles. He was a class of 2023 commit and was Oregon State’s sixth-highest recruit ever. The four-star quarterback was ranked No. 58 overall in the 2023 class nationally and the No. 7 overall quarterback. I would certainly be checking with Chiles to see his potential interest.

He did have a cryptic tweet hit his X profile that could raise some eyebrows.

🥸

— Aidan Chiles (@ai6an_) November 25, 2023

The next big date is Dec. 22 which is the final date for the Early Signing Period for the class of 2024 recruits. Class of 2024 recruits can sign their National Letters of Intent (NLI) then and lock their pledge in. Currently, Michigan State football has eight commits still remaining in its class. A couple of other recruits who recently de-committed from MSU have mentioned they would still be in the running for their services depending on what hires were made.

Michigan State had acquired a good talent base for its 2024 class. Trying to save as much of it as possible could help the new coaching staff bridge the talent gaps and jumpstart the rebuild. Nick Marsh should be priority No. 1 on prospects to try to keep in East Lansing. All eight remaining commitments on MSU’s list are worth trying to keep around.

Another top priority would be trying to gain the recommitment of Andrew Dennis. He is an offensive line prospect who was a huge part of gaining commits from current prospects. He is a natural-born leader and could really do great things with new offensive line coach Jim Michalczik,

The last potential pieces you could see are some former OSU offensive line commits offered. I mentioned earlier a few de-commitments have taken place this weekend. One of those would be three-star lineman prospect Payton Stewart. The 6-foot-7 tackle from Washington was one of the first to de-commit. I could see MSU taking a look at him with Smith and Michalczik on board. The other would be three-star athlete, Andrew Brinson.

Regardless of who is going to be targeted again, some clarity should come soon. Expect more news on staffing decisions over the next 24-48 hours as this situation is off and running. As I mentioned, a lot has to be done in a little amount of time. Buckle up, Spartan fans. Help is on the way and good things are heading to East Lansing.

Keep it here with Spartan Shadows for all your coaching updates and recruiting needs. As always, Go Green.