New Michigan State head football coach Jonathan Smith has his work cut out.
The Spartans have the profile of a Top 25 program, but the bottom has fallen out in East Lansing. Mel Tucker, who the organization put a lot of hope and money into, was unceremoniously ousted last season after a personal scandal. Now the Spartans find themselves starting over with Smith.
The good news? Smith is thought of as an excellent recruiter and program leader. He went 34-35 in six seasons at Oregon State, but really had the Beavers catching their stride in his final two seasons. They went 10-3 with a bowl win in 2022 and 8-4 last season.
Smith seems to have “the goods” as a college football coach, but he’s starting at ground zero at MSU.
What does that mean as a coach? First of all, it starts with communication. This is both a new scheme and a new staff. MSU also lost 37 players to the transfer portal with another 15 coming in to start the Smith era.
These guys have to learn how to talk to each other, let alone play football together. That process started in the spring.
“We got some things established, all three phases,” Smith recently said (h/t On3). “Even just how we practice, how we communicate. I think our growth defensively in communication, from practice one to 15, is like night and day, because that’s a huge part of it. We’ve gotten better on that communication side.”
Communication is key when it comes to tearing the MSU program down and rebuilding it to the power that it was in the Mark Dantonio years. It’s going to be easier said than done, though. Keep in mind, Smith went 2-10 in his first season at Oregon State and 5-7 in Year 2.
For Smith and his staff, though, it’s all part of the love of the game.
“That’s why you coach, is you enjoy improvement and the process that takes,” Smith explained “Yeah, we’ve got a long way to go. I enjoy, this coaching staff enjoys that process of improvement and development, especially working with a group (like this). These guys like football, they like being around, they like practicing, they like studying it. As a coach, you enjoy that part.”