Recruitment: Few things are as crucial to a college football program’s success as attracting a large number of talented players.
Undoubtedly, Jonathan Smith and his team have performed admirably on the recruiting front since assuming leadership at Michigan State football, all things considered. However, the recruitment efforts have yet to meet the expectations I (and likely many others) have for the program.
At present, the Spartans’ 2025 class has secured commitments from 15 players. This is a substantial number for the early part of July, but the overall ranking of the class paints a less optimistic picture.
The Spartans’ class is currently ranked at No. 52 nationwide and No. 14 within the Big Ten. I don’t anticipate Michigan State to lead in either of these rankings, but their current positions are insufficient.
So, how can Michigan State enhance their overall recruitment? Here are the three most crucial strategies that, in my opinion, would make a difference.
1) Strengthen Midwest relationships
During the peak of the Mark Dantonio era,Michigan State excelled in recruiting talent from the Midwest. This aspect has always been crucial for MSU, but under Jonathan Smith, it has proven to be somewhat challenging.
To be fair, this isn’t entirely his fault. Most of his recruiting ties are in the western region, where he has previously coached. Therefore, it’s not surprising that many of the commits in this class are from outside the Midwest.
However, for a significant improvement in recruiting, the focus must be on the Midwest. Fortunately, it appears that Smith is already taking steps to address this.
Out of the 14 commits in this class, six hail from Michigan, and when considering the entire Midwest, nine commits are from the region. Smith is actively working to build connections and recruit from this area, recognizing the utmost importance of these ties.
If he manages this adeptly, Smith can leverage these connections to attract more talented and highly-ranked prospects from the region. Establishing such connections in a new region can be challenging, but hopefully, with more time, Smith will build and utilize these relationships to the program’s benefit.
2) Establishing and solidifying the culture at Michigan State University
In my view, addressing Michigan State’s culture is perhaps the most significant aspect that requires attention. Even though the previous staff is no longer in place, the lasting negative impact they had on MSU’s culture continues to resonate across the country.
This is another area that requires attention before Jonathan Smith can begin recruiting at a high level.
Smith needs to first determine the kind of culture he envisions for the program at Michigan State. Fortunately, this step has already been completed, and the team enthusiastically supports his efforts in shaping it.
Now, the focus is on solidifying their program’s culture on a national level. Unfortunately, this cannot be accomplished overnight and will take time. However, as more recruits visit the campus and as Smith and his staff participate in more public interviews, the public perception of Michigan State’s culture will gradually shift.
Once this transformation takes place, I believe that it will become much easier for the staff to recruit higher-caliber prospects.
3) Increase the number of victories
This may appear evident, but Michigan State simply needs to secure more wins.
It’s widely known that exceptional players want to join winning teams, and Michigan State has not been on the winning side recently. Not many players willingly commit to a program that has failed to qualify for a bowl game in two consecutive seasons. When this occurs, recruiting declines to the point where the program barely scrapes into the top 50, as we are currently witnessing.
However, a couple of successful seasons could swiftly change this situation. Just imagine the potential impact if MSU has an outstanding season. Even an 8-4 performance would significantly bolster recruiting, especially considering the prevailing expectation in the college football world that Michigan State will once again miss a bowl game.
If Jonathan Smith can maintain a streak of two or three strong seasons, this would elevate the Spartans’ recruitment to a level not seen since Dantonio led the Big Ten. Who knows, it might even surpass that.
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