Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith wants players who are not too focused on NIL

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith accepted the head coaching position at Michigan State knowing that it would be his job and that of his coaching staff to turn around the Michigan State football program.

Coach Smith has proven he is capable of turning around a football program, as he did with his alma mater, Oregon State. However, turning around Michigan State will undoubtedly take more time, as Michigan State and the Big Ten may have a better football program and conference than the Pac-12 did during Smith’s tenure with the Beavers.

Although Smith has proven he can turn a football program around, NIL deals weren’t nearly as common last time around. However, paying college athletes has become fashionable recently, and more and more recruits are letting NIL deals dictate where they will receive a college education and where they will play college football.

Although Smith and his coaching staff have overcome many hurdles since arriving in East Lansing, they must continue to find a way to overcome arguably one of the biggest hurdles of all: NO deals.

At the National College Showcase at Wayne State in May, Smith said he understands the importance of NIL contracts for today’s college football players. However, Smith also said he looks for players who don’t rely primarily on NIL contracts when recruiting.

“There’s definitely a difference,” Smith said. “It still starts with the evaluation 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.”

As Smith and his coaching staff continue to try to turn things around at Michigan State, they will undoubtedly need to secure the best talent. Recruiting and NIL deals are king in college football today. Smith and his coaching staff were able to navigate the transfer portal after a slow start.

The Spartans will try to keep up with recruiting as NIL deals become more important.

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