4 Takeaways From Michigan State Football's Early Signing Period

The Spartans added nearly 20 players from the high school ranks as Jonathan Smith's rebuild begins in East Lansing...

Author:
Aedan Mulcrone
Publish date:
Dec 26, 2023 5:09 PM EST

In this story:

While no games were played, the biggest sporting event last Wednesday was college football’s Early Signing Day, as high school recruits and many transfers signed their national letters of intent with their new schools.

It was an eventful day for Michigan State, head coach Jonathan Smith and his new coaching staff. The Spartans, who at one point were down to only seven high school commitments, signed 18 recruits from the high school ranks. While MSU’s 2024 class is not as star-studded as previous years, the new staff got all the players they wanted, and that allows them to focus more on the transfer portal before the second signing period in February.

Most fans are not familiar with the prospects Smith and Co. are bringing in, mainly because Michigan State wasn’t recruiting them until recently. There is a lot to like about this class and the potential it has to make an impact in the fall and going forward. Here are the four biggest takeaways for the Spartans after the Early Signing Period.

Jonathan Smith Brings A Lot Of Luggage With Him

As many of you know, Smith came from Oregon State and brought six assistant coaches and much of his support staff with him. He also brought much of Oregon State’s 2024 recruiting class with him, flipping eight commitments from the Beavers to the Spartans. In addition to eight high school prospects who were once committed to OSU, Smith added two Oregon State transfers in quarterback Aidan Chiles and tight end Jack Velling (though the transfers have not signed yet).

This is very normal in the modern age of college football as coaches often bring several players with them when taking a new job. Building relationships with players begins years before a recruit moves on campus, which is why Smith was able to bring so many along. In this class, the Spartans signed players from the states of Hawaii, Washington and Idaho due to such relationships. While they’re a bit uncharted waters for Michigan State, these are the West Coast ties Smith and staff built at Oregon State, and they helped MSU salvage much of the 2024 recruiting cycle.

While the Spartans will continue to recruit the West Coast in the future, it’s expected that Smith and his staff will have a stronger presence in the Midwest and other more-local regions in next year’s cycle and beyond. However, Michigan State has always recruited California and may branch out to those other states more often as well.

A Brand New Quarterback Room

The Spartans will have a completely different quarterback room than they did even a month ago. With all three of the Spartans’ 2023 scholarship quarterbacks transferring this offseason, Smith and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren had to start from scratch.

Adding Chiles through the transfer portal was a big win, but the Spartans at least needed two more play-callers to be comfortable. Adding a second transfer QB will be difficult, but Michigan State added two quarterbacks from the high school ranks. The first to commit was three-star Wheaton (Ill.) St. Francis Alessio Milivojevic, who gave his pledge just three days before the signing period. With several quarterbacks taking official visits the past couple weeks, the Spartans managed to find a third play-caller on Signing Day when three-star La Mesa (Cali.) Helix quarterback Ryland Jessee signed with MSU.

Milivojevic flipped from Ball State while Jessee flipped from Utah State, both doing so last minute. The importance of adding two more quarterbacks cannot be understated, even if they’ll need time to develop. Both soon-to-be freshmen are enrolling in January, giving them a chance to compete right away for the backup spot with opportunities in the spring.

Getting Back To Midwestern Roots

The Spartans added several players from the West Coast but also added talent from the Midwest in this class. Four-star River Rouge (Mich.) wide receiver Nick Marsh has been committed to the Spartans for quite some time and headlines this class.

Michigan State also added midwestern players who weren’t as highly recruited and players they wouldn’t have gone after in recent years. These types of three-star players who fly under the radar are what former head coach Mark Dantonio built this program on, and it seems like Smith is trying to follow suit.

The Spartans signed six players combined from the states of Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. Marsh and twin brothers Mercer and Charlton Luniewski were committed to MSU’s previous staff, but Smith has also started to lay down roots in the Midwest. Milivojevic was the first recruit from the region to commit, followed by Cleveland (Ohio) Midpark wide receiver Austin Clay and Gaylord (Mich.) linebacker Brady Pretzlaff.

Both were late additions to the class, with Clay flipping from Bowling Green and Pretzlaff from Minnesota. The staff is starting to rebuild relationships in the ever-important state of Ohio, it’s likely Michigan State will sign more three-star recruits from the midwest before signing day in February.

Restocking The Offensive Line

At one point this offseason, the Spartans had five offensive lineman enter the transfer portal, but two of those players have already decided to come back to East Lansing. Michigan State’s offensive line has struggled in recent years, and new offensive line coach Jim Michalczik is tasked with rebuilding the position group.

With the Luniewski twin’s keeping their commitments to MSU, Michalczik added three more lineman that he recruited while at Oregon State. The biggest get was landing high three-star Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis offensive tackle Rustin Young, who had been one of Oregon State’s top recruits. Joining Young are Kelso (Wash.) offensive tackle Payton Stewart and Boise (Idaho) Bishop Kelly interior lineman Rakeem Johnson.

With a young offensive line, a brand new quarterback room and a new coaching staff, Michigan State’s offense is going to look much different in 2024. Many of these recruits are enrolling early and have a chance to play right away in the fall. With that said, the recruiting class is not finished yet, and the Spartans still need more additions in January and February to complete the 2024 class.

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