For Michigan State Coach Jonathan Smith, Communication is Key

New Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith has started the process of rebuilding the Spartans’ football program. Coach Smith and his coaching staff are starting from scratch as they continue to lose players to the transfer portal and use the portal to find new talent.

As he begins his first season at the helm, Smith understands the rebuild will take time and looks forward to gradually improving Michigan State football. The players remaining on the roster are eager to learn and improve. However, Smith is realistic about the timeline for turning things around.

“That’s why you coach, is you enjoy improvement and the process that takes,” Smith said after the spring showcase. “Yeah, we’ve got a long way to go,” Smith said. “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. As a coach, you enjoy that part."

Smith helped his alma mater, Oregon State, get its program heading in the right direction before he left. Oregon State won seven games combined in the three seasons before Smith took over. It won five games in his second season as the head coach and a total of 18 over Smith’s final two seasons.

In East Lansing, Smith will have a similar task of turning around a football program. However, Michigan State's football history is much richer than Oregon State’s, which should work in the Spartans' favor on the recruiting trail and in the portal.

As many new faces arrive at Michigan State hoping to make a name for themselves, Smith and his coaching staff have been sure to communicate clearly with the team. Following the spring game and the offseason changes, Smith is confident with the team’s growth but plans to continue working on the team’s communication with each other.

“We got some things established, all three phases,” Smith said. “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."

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