Jonathan Smith and Michigan State Football suffer rare recruiting setback

Michigan State and coach Jonathan Smith have had an eventful offseason. Coach Smith and his coaching staff entered their first offseason in East Lansing not knowing what to expect. They would face a significant obstacle early in the year as Michigan State’s roster lost nearly 20 players to the transfer portal.

It was a setback that Smith and his coaching staff may or may not have been prepared for. However, they rebounded by securing one of the better transfer portal classes in the country. Smith and his coaching staff then turned their attention to recruiting, as their 2025 recruiting class was at one point one of the worst in the Big Ten.

Smith and his coaching staff have signed numerous talented players for Michigan State’s 2025 recruiting class. In June, they prioritized players from Michigan and surrounding states in their recruiting efforts, offering scholarships and securing commitments from many players from the Midwest.

Although Smith and his coaching staff had a solid June, they received disappointing news from a coveted recruit, offensive lineman Kuol Kuol. The Dayton, Ohio native recently announced that he plans to choose Purdue over Michigan State, despite Michigan State reportedly making a good impression on the three-star offensive tackle earlier in the offseason.