Jonathan Smith describes NIL as “a piece of the pie” in recruitment

In the midst of an offseason of major changes in college football, Jonathan Smith and his team in East Lansing have undergone one of the largest roster restructurings in college football. And that means Smith and Co. have to search hard for players – high school students and transfer players.

In the new world of recruitment, this of course means ZERO is a necessary part of the discussion. But only a part, Smith recently told reporters at the Sound Mind Sound Body Showcase Camp.

“There is definitely a difference,” Smith said of recruiting at State of Michigan. “It still starts with the assessment process and goes beyond that. I think that’s a piece of the pie. We’re looking for people to have a piece of the pie while they’re weighing their options, but then there’s the education, the program, the staff, the eligibility, the area, all of those are pieces of the pie.”

With dozens of transfers in both directions this season, Michigan State has had one of the highest roster turnovers of any team, and obviously Smith’s offer wasn’t based solely on the checks the players would collect.

And so far, recruiting high school players has been slow for Smith and Co. He signed class No. 43 – most of whom were recruited by the previous head coach Mel Tucker — in the 2024 cycle, and the Spartans’ commitments currently make up the No. 49 class for the 2025 cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings. In the 2025 class, Smith has yet to receive a commitment from a top-300 player.

Smith looks forward to the rivalry with Michigan

is looking forward to the rivalry within the state with Michiganalthough he has not yet coached a game for the Spartans.

Then again, it’s not hard to get excited about this game after the Wolverines dominated the college football world last season. But Smith could be the man to bring Michigan State back to the top of highly competitive Big Ten football and the College Football Playoff.

But you have to beat the kings of the state, and that’s Michigan right now.

“I love being part of a rivalry in this state that is passionate on both sides,” Smith said. “I’m excited to be a big part of it.”

To beat a team like Michigan, the former Oregon State head coach will have to rebuild the Spartans. There was a brief peak under former coach Mel Tucker that included an 11-win season.

But it quickly fell apart. Smith spoke about the work within her program during his press conference following the Spring Showcase in mid-April.

He explained that every coach enjoys developing his team, both individually and collectively, and it is even better for the staff when the players themselves are fully involved in this effort.

“Yeah, I think that’s why you coach, because you enjoy the improvement and the process that comes with it,” Smith said. “We have a long way to go. I and this coaching staff enjoy that process of improvement and development. Especially working with a group – these guys like football. They enjoy being involved, they enjoy training, they enjoy studying it.”