Jonathan Smith details his plans for Michigan State coaching staff

New Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith addressed his plan for building a staff at Michigan State in his introductory press conference.

Smith emphasized that he wants a staff of people who he trusts to develop the team. He also noted that there are already a lot of coaches who he is comfortable with from his time at Oregon State, implying that many will come with him.

“The intention is to build a staff with great men, who are great teachers, who are elite people, that will invest in the lives of the players,” Jonathan Smith said. “Yes, there is a crew who’s been with me for a long time. They’re the reason I’m standing in front of you. So, yes, they’ll be a part of that.”

For Jonathan Smith, recruiting in the Midwest is going to be a concern. A California native who played for Oregon State, his previous stops include schools like Idaho, Montana, Boise State, and Washington. So, to address that lack of ties, he’s going to look at finding coaches with a stronger local background to Michigan State.

“It’s not an elephant in the room, I have a lack of and I don’t have a lot of deep ties to the Midwest, I cannot wait to get engaged and dial into the high school coaches in Michigan. At the same time, a staff reflecting some background there will be an intention on this staff. There were some good coaches that are currently here, a few of those guys I will be talking to,” Smith said.

“We will take some time to put this together because you got to get these things right and have the right mix and fit, some continuity that has been around and can speak the language from the get-go. Midwest ties will be an attention and the exploring some of the coaches here.”

Jonathan Smith comes to Michigan State amid the collapse of the Pac-12 Conference, with Oregon State becoming one of two remaining programs in the conference. He also has a contract for seven years and is worth $52.85 million. His salary pool will be $10.75 million.

Jonathan Smith addresses thoughts on Michigan State’s QB situation

Michigan State has a challenging quarterback situation. However, as a former quarterback and offensive coach, Jonathan Smith has a lot of thoughts on how to improve that situation.

“I think we are going to run a style of play that the quarterback can have some real, real success. I think being the starting quarterback at Michigan State is an unbelievable opportunity, and that opportunity is there for who’s in our locker room starting in January,” Smith said.

“I’ll say this not just specifically about the quarterback position but in general, this day and age in college football there’s opportunity’s there as far as weighing your options, fresh start somewhere else. All of the current players, unsettling the last year, so that’s not, how I would say it, totally surprising for guys to want to explore an option or two. And I get that. We really support those that want to be in that locker room in January. I’ve got a firm belief we can hit the ground running and do something special.”