Michigan State Coach Jonathan Smith's Ability to Weather Early Storms Vital to His Tenure

Few programs have had to overcome as much adversity in as short of a time frame as Michigan State football's.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith leaves the file after the Spring Showcase on Saturday, | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith was tasked with helping rebuild a once proud Spartans football program that has fallen on hard times because of the actions of their former coach and the changing landscape of college football, specifically the transfer portal and the Name, Image and Likeness era.

Coach Smith enters arguably his biggest challenge yet as a head coach in college football. He is already facing some of the typical difficulties that come with a new head coach coming to town and some difficulties that most coaches in college football history didn’t have to deal with. 

Any rebuild takes time, especially in college football. Before the transfer portal, coaches would be given years to rebuild a football program, as it would take a coach a while to get the necessary players in to fit their system. While this is undoubtedly the case, the transfer portal adds a new layer of difficulty for new head coaches, especially Coach Smith. 

Not only does Coach Smith have to focus on the recruiting trail as he tries to fill out his roster like every other new head coach, but he also has to navigate many of the players he inherited entering the transfer portal. Most coaches around college football are learning to deal with the latter. 

However, one of the biggest positives of Coach Smith’s troubles so far is that he faced adversity early in his tenure. Football is filled with adversity; players generally look to their leader to see how they react to tough times. So far, Coach Smith has handled all the negative things thrown his way admirably. 

As Michigan State began to lose players to the transfer portal and was losing out on recruits who chose to play elsewhere, Coach Smith and his coaching staff have only worked harder to make up for the losses. 

While things were tough for Coach Smith initially and will be for a while, they’ve begun to dig their way out of the transfer portal's hole with portal signings of their own. Coach Smith and his coaching staff are giving the players on their roster a lesson on handling life’s expected and unexpected challenges. This is one of the primary lessons of the game of football.

As the Spartans look to rebuild their program, Coach Smith's continued success in overcoming the difficulties of his first season will be critical in his attempts to connect with players already on the Spartans' roster and the players he hopes to add to it. His ability to handle all that is thrown his way during his first few seasons at MSU will be a critical part of his tenure in East Lansing.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.