Recruiting Trail, Not Transfer Portal, Could Be What Determines Success in the Jonathan Smith Era

The Michigan State Spartans have been transfer portal losers. It is time for them to become recruiting trail winners.

Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith leaves the stage after speaking during an introductory / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith has been off to a solid start since arriving in East Lansing in November.

Spring practices showed a lot of promise -- Oregon State transfer quarterback Aidan Chiles looks like the real deal. His backup, Tommy Schuster, is a very suitable No. 2 option.

One of the only blemishes on the Jonathan Smith era -- which has still not even seen the summer -- is the transfer portal.

Smith lost a number of key players, such as edge rusher Bai Jobe, a former highly touted recruit, defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, the best player on defense and possibly the entire team, and numerous running backs who were likely to contribute in 2024 -- Davion Primm, Jalen Berger, Jaren Mangham and Jaelon Barbarin.

The list of losses continues.

The gains in the portal were solid -- the two aforementioned quarterbacks, Oregon State tight end Jack Velling, who will be the starter and could have All-Big Ten potential and Old Dominion linebacker Wayne Matthews III, who looks like he could end up being the best linebacker to wear the Green and White in a long time.

Even with recent additions like Illinois interior offensive lineman Andrew Dennis, a four-star steal, the transfer portal has shown the potential to be a detriment to the Spartans.

Smith will need to hit the recruiting trail hard and build his program the old-fashioned way if he wants to compete in the modern game of college football.

So far, Smith has two commits in the 2025 recruiting class. Three-star quarterback Leo Hannan of Servite, California, is an impressive player who could possibly challenge Chiles someday if the transfer quarterback is still around.

Hannan recently earned praise at the Elite 11 quarterback showcase.

Smith's other commit, Orchard Lake St. Mary's three-star linebacker DJ White shows a lot of promise. A former safety, White has size and athleticism perfect for the modern Big Ten, and his intangibles could take him all the way.

The Spartans are in the running for top offensive linemen like three-star Drew Nichols of Murrieta Valley, California, and four-star Darius Afalava of Lehi, Utah. Both have the uncoachable traits to make it.

Three-star defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon of Chicago, Illinois, could be special in Green and White if he commits. He is another player with intangibles.

When it comes to in-state recruits still on the board, three-star linebacker Di'Mari Malone and three-star athlete Desmond Straughton are southeast Michigan region gems that could make a difference. St. Mary's has three players outside of White who are incredible talents.

All of these players have shown interest in Michigan State -- and they are from the two regions Smith said he wanted to prioritize: the Midwest and the West Coast.

If Smith wants to build Michigan State into something to compete with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State or USC -- he should consider hedging his bets on the recruiting trail, not the transfer portal.

It's not a quick fix, but Michigan State has never succeeded at such maneuvering. The most successful Spartan squad of this century, the 2013 Rose Bowl team, was built on recruiting and development.

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