Michigan State's Jonathan Smith Talks Transfer Portal

The spring transfer portal opened on Tuesday, and while the Michigan State football program prepares for its "Spring Showcase," there is still an emphasis within the recruiting department.

New Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith is less than 24 hours away from Saturday's "Spring Showcase," which will be the first big chapter of his coaching career at Michigan State.

While Smith's attention this spring has been on his new team, there is now the cloud of the transfer portal that floats above his head, as the portal opened back up on Tuesday.

There are, of course, both positive and negative aspects to the transfer portal. While the Spartans could soon be bringing in more talent, there is also the concern of losing talent that has already been incorporated into spring practice.

"Those will be individual choices, but we are kind of locked in on finishing spring ball," Smith told reporters after the Spartans' spring practice on Tuesday. "I am not oblivious to the portal being open, but I think we have a good thing going that the guys want to be apart of."

Having been a head coach throughout this transfer portal era, Smith has become quite acquianted with the process.

"It is quite a bit different from five years ago," he said. "You just got to learn to navigate and it's different that way. Again, it's opportunities for these players and situations. I think the origination -- I am not completely down on the portal -- I think the origination of it was good, and finding new environments, environments change. Opportunities for guys to get a better start, a fresh start somewhere else, I think a lot of that is still good."

Building a program back up is not the same as it once was, and it's going to be a challenge for Smith his staff.

"There is a lot going on there," Smith said. "Again, the portal is a way to add to your roster and we're going to try to take advantage of that as well as high school recruiting, as well as development, and walk-ons. And also developing the current roster that you got."

Smith has, of course, been quite the beneficiary of the portal this year, as former Oregon State players like quarterback Aidan Chiles followed him to East Lansing. We'll see if he continues to prosper from the portal going forward.

The Michigan State Spartan Football "Spring Showcase" will be held at the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation, Spartan Stadium, on April 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.

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